Europeana Collections

• The painting “All Through the Night” belongs to the early period of Antanas Žmuidzinavičius' work. It was painted immediately after his return from studies in Paris, when he settled in a little house in Antakalnis district of Vilnius. The composition of the painting is simple, almost ascetic. It shows a centrally placed table and a male figure bent over it writing. A dim table lamp is reflected in the window pane, with the sky already lightening. There are several books on the table, sheets of paper that had been written on overnight, and an ink pot. Typically for Antanas Žmuidzinavičius the painting is done in realistic style, in warm earthy tones. The subject of the painting is the young writer and public figure Konstantinas Jasukaitis. He shared a house with the artist for a while and acted as his model. The painting was displayed at the first Lithuanian Art Exhibition in 1907. The compelling and romanticised image caused much interest among viewers. While describing her impressions Lithuanian writer Žemaitė wrote how the painting had an impact on her as a symbol of Lithuanian intellectuals fighting against oppression. Thus, realistic and simple scene from everyday life was elevated by contemporaries to become a dramatic metaphor and an allegory for the Lithuanian National Revival of the late 19th century and the period of the Lithuanian press ban (1864-1904 ban on all Lithuanian language publications printed in the Latin alphabet within the Russian Empire). The painting “All Through the Night” by Antanas Žmuidzinavičius is a major Lithuanian artwork from the early 20th century which has transcended the boundaries of the image and has become a national symbol of the times.

Creator:

• Antanas Žmuidzinavičius (1876-10-19 — 1966-08-09)

Type:

• oil paintings (visual works)
• genre (visual works)

Subject:

• http://iconclass.org/31A71(+53)

Medium:

• oil painting (technique)

Size:

• 84 cm x 110 cm

Language:

• English
• Lietuvių

Date:

• http://semium.org/time/19xx

Creation date:

• 1906
• http://semium.org/time/19xx_1_third
• http://semium.org/time/1906

Period:

• Early 20th century

Institution:

• Lithuanian Art Museum

Provider:

• Europeana 280

Providing country:

• lithuania

First published in Europeana:

• 2015-12-03

Last updated in Europeana:

• 2016-03-17

Dataset:

• 2063603_EU_280_Lithuania

Relations:

• http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21771321