- VIRTUAL
EXHIBITION
TADAS
BAJARUNAS AND HIS PHOTOGRAPHY
-
- I part
-
- PHOTOGRAPHIES FROM
THE ARCHIVES OF THE PANEVEZYS LOCAL LORE MUSEUM
-
 |
 |
| The
Family |
With
the mandoline |
-
-
- Author Zita
Pikelyte
-
- In thirties and fourties of the
20th century almost every Lithuanian town had its own
photographer. Krekenava and its environs in Panevezys district
were photographed by Tadas Bajarunas.
- T. Bajarunas was born on the 28th
of October, 1890, in a family of farmers Paulina Pronis and
Justinas Bajarunas in Navapolis estate near Sidabravas. His
parents possesed 80 hectares of land and they grew up eight
children in their family. Children followed in the footsteps of
their parents in tilling the land with a few exceptions - one of
the children learnt a trade of a smith and Tadas became a
photographer.
- T. Bajarunas did not graduate any
special institution. Evidently he mastered photography when
serving in the Czar Army. And not only photography - he learnt
to repair clocks, sewing-machines, bicycles and radios. He took
up to constructing as well.
- He married to Kazimiera
Jeleniauskaite in 1919. In 1920 a young family settled in
Krekenava, at 29 Baznyčios (Church) Street. Here the
photographer equiped a modest photo studio with huge windows for
natural daylight. His work was abundant and he worked a lot
during Church festivals as there were a lot of people wishing to
have their photos. He was often invited to nearby villages.
Portraits, groups of people, weddings and funerals were the most
favourable themes in his glass-negatives and photographs that
reached our days though one can find religic festivals, pictures
of town, solemn or important moments of town civic life (i.e.
meeting with president A. Smetona, meeting of Bishop K.
Paltarokas, building of elementary school, etc.).
- Photoartist Saulius Saladunas
speaks:” At that time photography in all Lithuania was very
much alike. There were only a few distinguished photographers.
T. Bajarunas’ manner of photographing is classic, depicting
conditions of life. People in his photographs are static though
they are put together rather deliberately, in a very neat way.
It seems the photogragher was up to contemporary aesthatic
requirements. Negatives are retouched and that is really
specific, a kind of science so to say. He is to be appreciated
not only for devoting his life to photography but for his
carefulness to preserve photographs and negatives”.
- It is a pity he had no
carefulness (if not the time) to describe the reflected events
and people. Apparently it was not his aim.
- As a man he was joyful and loved
music - he sang, played a mandolina, joked a lot and told a
numerous stories. People liked him.
- He died on the 13th of March,
1945 leaving behind not only his archive of photographs but his
son Vytautas as his successor. Other son chose to be a teacher
and his daughter became an engineer. Most of the T. Bajarunas
photographic inheritance is in the Panevezys Museum of Regional
Exploration as well as in the Lithuanian Etnography Museum in
Rumsiskes.
-
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)