LTStraipsnyje analizuojami Pirmojo pasaulinio karo atminties (toliau - I PK) ženklai Lietuvos tarpukario dailėje. Tyrime aptarus lig šiol sistemiškai šiuo požiūriu neanalizuotą dailės palikimą išryškėjo, kad I PK atmintis ir jo poveikis visuomenės gyvenimui buvo svarbios temos to meto Lietuvos dailininkams. Tarpukario Lietuvos oficialioje dailėje pagrindinis dėmesys skirtas Nepriklausomybės kovų, kaip valstybės kūrimo laikotarpio, viešai reprezentacijai, о I PK vaizdinį, apimantį karo kaltės, dehumanizacijos ir jo socialinio poveikio aspektus daugiausia perteikė XX a. 3-io ir 4-o dešimtmečių sandūroje pradėjusi reikštis jaunoji menininkų karta. Suluošinto žmogaus, kūno su negalia vaizdavimas tapo įrankiu dailininkams išreikšti kolektyvines traumines karo patirtis ir jų poveikį visuomenės gyvenimui. Kita vertus, kai kuriems dailininkams I PK tapo naujo bręstančio karo įvaizdinimo katalizatoriumi, o su nelegalia Lietuvos komunistų partija bendradarbiavusiems dailininkams - įrankiu skleisti sovietų komunizmo propagandą to meto visuomenėje. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Didysis karas, atmintis, tarpukario Lietuvos dailė.
ENDuringthe early stages of the First World War (WWI), the territory that would later become the independent Republic of Lithuania was situated on the front lines. The war brought forced evacuations, mass mobilization into the Tsarist Russian army, and, by 1915, occupation by Kaiser Germany, which left Lithuania devastated. Even after Lithuania declared independence in 1918, hostilities persisted. From 1918 to 1920, the nation fought for its freedom against the Bolsheviks, Bermontists, and Poles. The six years of war left a profound mark on both literature and art. However, the impact of WWI - marked by death, dehumanization, and cruelty - has long been underexplored in the study of Lithuanian cultural history and postwar art. This article seeks to examine how and in what forms the memory of the Great War was reflected in Lithuanian interwar art. An analysis of Lithuania’s interwar artistic legacy reveals that the memory of WWI and its profound social impact were significant themes for Lithuanian artists of the period. However, the subsequent “forgetting” of this legacy can be attributed to several complex factors. One key reason is the intricate periodization of the war, which often linked the impact of WWI to the process of building a new state following the collapse of the Tsarist Russian Empire, framing it primarily through a geopolitical lens. Additionally, research has traditionally emphasized the official politics of war remembrance, overshadowing alternative forms of collective memory and prioritizing representations of the struggle for independence (1918-1920). Furthermore, in the early 1920s, the artistic community, deeply engaged in the national revival movement, focused on the establishment of a national cultural identity and consciously chose not to depict their war experiences.The representation of WWI, encompassing themes of war guilt, dehumanization, and its societal impact, was primarily explored by the younger generation of artists who emerged in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Influenced by societal changes and the modernization of art, this new wave of artists not only expanded the thematic scope of their work but also redefined the role of the artist in society. Depictions of mutilated bodies and disabled individuals became powerful tools for expressing the collective trauma of war and its lingering effects on post-war life. The memory of the Great War in Lithuanian interwar art sheds light on the evolution of left-wing agitational art and propaganda. The works from the 1930s discussed in the article reveal divergent uses of the WWI imagery: for some, it served as a forewarning of impending conflict, while for others, particularly those collaborating with the illegal Lithuanian Communist Party, it became a tool for disseminating Soviet communist propaganda. Keywords: The Great War, memory, Lithuanian interwar art.