Paminklų apsaugos kursų ekspedicija bei "Senovės diena" Igno Končiaus nuotraukose
LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Ekspedicija; Etnologija; Fotografijos; Ignas Končius; 20 amžius; Nuotraukos; Paminklų apsaugos kursai; Paveldas; Šventė "Senovės diena"; An "Olden Day" festival; Ethnology; Expedition; Heritage; Ignas Končius; Lithuanian XX c. history; Monument Protection Courses; Photographs; Photos.
ENThe photograph collection kept in the Art Museum of Lithuania of the prominent Lithuanian ethnographer Ignas Končius contains photographs that fix the clothing and customs of the people from Merkinė and Dainava areas as well as the architecture of the old Lithuanian village. They are of great interest and value to present-day investigators. On the basis of documentary material, the author of the article thoroughly tells the story of the expedition of monument protection courses and the festivals Olden Day on 9th-10th July 1935 and discusses the events fixed in Končius’ photographs (104). The courses were organized by the State Archaeological Commission striving to train more qualified specialists who could properly register decaying monuments of the past. Theoretical knowledge acquired at the courses was strengthened by the expedition to the village of Dubakloniai and at the festival An Olden Day. Owing to the monument protection courses quite a big group of qualified people was trained in the space of a year to collect and fix our heritage. The trainees acquired basic knowledge in the field of ethnography, archaeology, art and architecture. The artists and students of art schools not only familiarized themselves with the heritage of their ancestors but possibly also drew some creative inspiration. The trained land surveyors and cultural technicians, who often had to spend some time in Lithuanian villages and townships, were able to help to preserve the heritage of the past much better. An Olden Day was the first festival of this kind in Lithuania.The organized exhibition featured some objects, clothing and tools used in the past, old customs and dances also deserved their proper attention. The importance of the festival is also witnessed by the fact that it was honored by the visit of the then President Of Lithuania Antanas Smetona. Končius’ photographs that fixed the exhibition An Olden Day in Merkinė, though often lack exact metric, are greatly interesting and useful for familiarizing oneself with the material culture of the past or investigating it. The fixed impressive old edicts collected in one place make possible to imagine the picture of one or another household utensil from this area, its development and beauty. The examples of architecture fixed during the expedition can serve as a perfect material in the studies of wooden building and its decoration in Dzūkija (southeast Lithuania). [From the publication]
