Balys Buračas - tautos genomo įvaizdintojas

LTNorint suvokti Balio Buračo vietą ir reikšmę Lietuvos fotografijos istorijoje, būtina į jo kūrybą pažvelgti visos Lietuvos fotografijos, o gal ir platesniame - europiniame bei pasauliniame kontekste, nes fotografas, panašiai kaip ir kiti pasaulio fotoklasikai, sukūrė modernaus gyvenimo dar nepaliestą senojo Lietuvos kaimo apibendrintą portretą. Vyresnioji pokario fotomenininkų karta jau seniai yra pripažinusi, jog gimė, subrendo ir išaugo iš B. Buračo kaimiškųjų fotografijų tradicijų, - tokį ilgalaikį jo kūrybos poveikį galime palyginti nebent su žymiausių XIX ir XX amžiaus vilniečių fotografų įtaka Vilniaus fotografijai, kurios istoriją dabar ypač įdėmiai nagrinėja Lietuvos ir Lenkijos fotografijos tyrinėtojai [p. 14].

ENTo perceive the significance and importance of Balys Buračas' talent in the history of Lithuanian photography it is necessary to take a brief look at his creative works in the context of Lithuanian photography as well as in a broader sense - a European and global context - since photographers, the same as other global photo classics, created a fairly generalized portrait of an old Lithuanian village seen as being far from the bustle of modern life. Seniorgeneration photo artists assumed that they had been greatly influenced by B. Buračas' photographs that preserve the traditions of rural life. In 1915 B. Buračas bought his first camera and began his journey of photography. He visited familiar places and took a large number of photos of carved cottages, granaries, wood works, etc. At first sight it might seem that B. Buračas' photos are meant to capture merely ethnographic objects or a fleeting range of expressions; however, a deeper look shows that he relies on his heart and intuition rather than just accurate capturing of objects (it is not surprising that he studied graphic design at Kaunas Art School in 1929), chooses unusual lighting and visually appealing shooting spots. To enhance the impact of his scenes B. Buračas masterfully employs lighting and space while creating documentary photos and accurately depicting reality, which meets the criteria of artistic photography. His landscape photos are the most thrilling and stunning ones depicting a peasant's yard and his way of life and highlighting the village life images Undefined photos, pictures and inscriptions of B. Buračas could be considered as the Lithuanian chronicles, a unique visual image of the country captured as momentary images of the spirit of the nation of bygone times.Numerous magazines and newspapers of the Pre-War period are filled with B. Buračas' pictures and articles on folk customs, festivals and traditions. In 1937 at the Paris World Exhibition B. Buračas was awarded the Gold Medal for a collection of 25 ethnographic photographs. Afterwards, his photos were published in foreign newspapers and magazines. The photographer cooperated with Illustrated London News, the French Larousse Encyclopaedia and the Czech and German press, his photos were published in the USA press. During World War II B. Buračas continued taking pictures. While visiting river banks he took pictures of hill forts, historic sites and cultural monuments. In 1953, after his retirement, B. Buračas continued to take photos and rushed to capture objects that survived in the war period and with the passing of time. Recently, B. Buračas' photography archives (more than 11000 undefined photographs) are stored at the Vytautas the Great War Museum, over one thousand photographs - at the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, hundreds and dozens of photos - at other museums. Taking a moment to review accomplishments and awards of contemporary photography we can undoubtedly admit that B. Buračas was the cornerstone of the Lithuanian photography school unifying principles and opportunities of two different types of creativity - documentary and artistic photography.