Antanas Jaroševičius (1870–1956) was a Lithuanian painter best known for his album of Lithuanian crosses published in 1912 and ševičlife-long interest in Lithuanian folk art.
He graduated from the Baron Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design in Saint Petersburg in 1899 and later taught in Orlov and Kazan until 1920. Despite the long distance, he continued to be involved in Lithuanian cultural life and published various articles in the Lithuanian press. He studied Lithuanian folk art, in particular Lithuanian crosses, during his summer vacations. He participated in the First Exhibition of Lithuanian Art in 1907 and was an active member of the Lithuanian Art Society. In 1912, the society published his album of detailed drawings of Lithuanian crosses – it is considered the first study of Lithuanian folk art. In 1921, Jaroševičius returned to Lithuania and settled on a farm near Giedraičiai. He refused a position at the University of Lithuania and taught art and crafts at the Giedraičiai Progymnasium until 1935 (the school is now named after him). He continued his studies of Lithuanian folk art and encouraged his students to keep the traditions alive. He died in poverty and obscurity in 1956.
Biography
Early life and education
Jaroševičius was born in the village of into a family of a blacksmith. After the Uprising of 1863, the family acquired land and began farming. The family was large – three daughters and six sons. The parents intended to educate Jaroševičius so that he would become a Catholic priest. He received some education at home and at a Russian primary school before attending the Mitau Gymnasium. However, in 1893, Jaroševičius defied his parents and enrolled into the Baron Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design in Saint Petersburg. His parents refused to support him financially. For the first year, he received some support from his neighbor Petras Vileišis and later had to make his own living by tutoring, painting decorations, and taking other assorted jobs. In Saint Petersburg, he met Povilas Višinskis who encouraged Jaroševičius to joint the Lithuanian National Revival and start contributing to the illegal Lithuanian press, including Varpas and Lietuvos ūkininkas. Despite difficulties, Jaroševičius graduated with a distinction in 1899 as an art teacher.
In Kazan
For a year, Jaroševičius worked at the Zimin Furniture Factory as a designer. His designs were exhibited by the firm at the Paris Exhibition of 1900 and were awarded a silver medal. He worked as a teacher at a girls' gymnasium in Orlov, Vyatka Governorate in 1902–1905 and lectured at Kazan schools and the Kazan Polytechnic Institute in 1905–1920. Despite the long distance, Jaroševičius continued to be involved in Lithuanian cultural life. He continued to write to the Lithuanian press mostly on topics of art and Lithuanian folk art. His articles were published in Lietuvių laikraštis, Vilniaus žinios, Lietuvos ūkininkas, Viltis, Aušrinė, and others. His writings inspired other Lithuanian artists, including Petras Rimša and Adomas Varnas, to study Lithuanian folk art. He also published two Lithuanian-language booklets, Kam aš reikalingas? (Who needs me?) in 1905 which expressed his nostalgia for the homeland and Darbininkų rūpesniai ir vargai. (Brolių laiškai) [Workers' Worries and Hardships. (Letters from the Brothers)] in 1913. He supported the idea of the First Exhibition of Lithuanian Art in 1907 and exhibited 19 of his works. He later participated in each annual exhibition of the Lithuanian Art Society. He illustrated books for children, including a primer by and a book of tales by Matas Šalčius. He also created vignettes and initials for the Vairas journal and created some of the first Lithuanian postcards.
Return to Lithuania
During World War I, he was a representative of the Lithuanian Society for the Relief of War Sufferers in Kazan and assisted Lithuanian war refugees. In 1921, Jaroševičius returned to Lithuania and settled in near Giedraičiai. He bought a farm and taught art and crafts at the Giedraičiai Progymnasium until 1935. He was invited to teach at the University of Lithuania, but he refused. In 1927, he designed a monument to Lithuanian soldiers who died in the Battle of Giedraičiai during the Żeligowski's Mutiny in 1920. The monument was built in 1928 and was one of the very few Lithuanian monuments that were not destroyed during the Soviet era.