Johanas Hiksa - naujas vardas Europos fotografijos istorijoje

ENJohan Hiksa was first presented to the public in 2001 at the exhibition arranged by the National Museum of Lithuania and in the album Vilnius Photographs. 1858-1915. The archive of photographs discovered and studied by the author of the paper supplemented the history of Lithuanian photography and revealed the fields of work by the unknown Vilnius amateur photographer. For twenty years, while accompanying the Duke Sayn-Wittgenstein family in their travels, he photographed the old continent and recorded the way of life and surroundings of European aristocracy. Hiksa’s biography was reconstructed from the recollections of his relations, the family tree, his diary and other archival sources. The first authentically dated photograph was made in 1876. It is believed that the young man was encouraged to take up photography by Peter Sayn-Wittgenstein. The period when Hiksa was active in photography coincided with the emergence of expressions of impressionism in art, which can also be observed in the photographs of the photographer from Vilnius. His works are characterised by their individualism and unconventional compositions. Hiksa’s heritage consists of three albums with photographs of Verkiai and its environs, images of European cities, albums of family portraits, a diary and memorial items. Part of Hiksa’s photographs have been preserved by the descendants of the dukes Sayn-Wittgenstein and Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst and are now in Germany. Next to photographs of Verkiai, they include images of estates, residences and villas of other dukes and various events. Hiksa’s photographic archive is the largest known heritage of an amateur photographer of the 19'1' century.