A special work of artist and collector Kazios Varnelis, which reflects the period of his church art, arrived in Lithuania - a monstrance designed by the master and almost 70 cm high. It is an elegant and luxurious relic decorated with laconic national motifs, testifying to the still emerging style of the master of abstract optical art. K. Varnelis is usually recognized as a master of opera, but he is not yet widely known as a creator of church art. The unique work was transferred to the Lithuanian National Museum (LNM), it will be kept by the K. Varnelis House-Museum of the LNM. The monstrance was created in 1957, when K. Varnelis, in collaboration with other Lithuanian artists and builders, created St. The interior of the chapel of the Convent of the Poor Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in Putnam, Connecticut (USA). Until now, it was only known to us from the artist's sketches and black-and-white photographs taken by him. "The monstrance is very modern and quite unusual, if we compare it with the usual forms of the Church. In it, we see a traditional Lithuanian element, merged together with a very modern, urban element," Daiva Vaišnienė, the head of the K. Varnelis house-museum, tells the daily "Bernardinai.lt". "The monstrance created by Kazio Varnelis had a rather long and complicated journey to his museum in Vilnius. This monstrance began to be created in 1955 for the church of the Putnam monastery, which was completely decorated by Kazys Varnelis. In 2019, during the preparation of an album dedicated to Varnelis' work, the monstrance was found in the Putnam monastery, and the author of the monograph, art critic Laura Petrauskaitė, informed our museum about it. We cooperated with the sisters of the Putnam Monastery - a big thank you to Sister Ignė Marijošiūta, who preserved and handed over this monstrance to Lithuania," says D. Vaišnienė. According to her, K. Varnelis started his activity in the field of church art while still living in Lithuania, before studying at the Kaunas School of Art, he carved sculptures - now two of his carved sculptures are standing in Telšiai. "While living in Kaunas, Varnelis worked as the director of the church art museum. After leaving for the USA, escaping from Lithuania and ending up in Chicago with his aunt's family along with the wave of refugees, he first looked for work in those studies that would be related to what he knew well - church art. He started painting ornaments for churches in the studio of Italo Rigali, and after a few years, having become well-versed in the behind-the-scenes and organization of the church art business, he opened his own studio. This is how Varnelis' work began, primarily with Lithuanian parish churches in the United States. Several of his projects have been realized, and stained glass windows created by Varnelis have been found in American Catholic churches, as well as in Protestant churches. Varnelis did not only make religious items for the chapels of Putnam Monastery - he designed the interior of the entire church. He collaborated with other Lithuanians - builders, artists. The chapel of the Putnam Monastery itself is an example of modern and national art, the only church interior created by Kazis Varnelis, which has remained almost unchanged to our days," says the head of the K. Varnelis House-Museum. According to D. Vaišnienė, K. Varnelis created the monstrance and its project more than once. The first design was submitted in 1955, at a time when the interior of the Putnam Convent chapel was almost completed. However, the sisters did not really like the first project, and K. Varnelis in 1956. presented the second option. "In 1957, a monstrance was made, which we will now keep in the Varnelis Museum. In a letter to his sister Aloyza, the artist emphasized that this monstrance has many Lithuanian features, and this can be seen from the ornaments around the lunette - these are folk motifs of hearts, a repeating motif of a spindle, geometric shapes typical of Varnelis' optical creations. This monstrance is very modern and quite unusual if we compare it with the usual forms of the Church. In it, we see a traditional Lithuanian element, fused together with a very modern, urban element. Most of the problems were caused by the stem of the monstrance - Varnelis created it very modern, quite sharp, like a skyscraper, which reminds of the architecture of the USA that was relevant at that time. The artist himself emphasized that the monstrance is not a frequently used item and it should not be comfortable. Since it was used infrequently, it was preserved as a work of art. Varnelis received many complaints that the monstrance was uncomfortable to hold, especially from the priest, who complained that his hands hurt when holding it. This was one of the arguments why Varnelis wrote in letters to his friends that it was difficult for him to harmonize his artistic and aesthetic principle with the needs of the customers," says the head of the museum. Creative team: Kostas Kajėnas, Dovilė Lapinskaitė. More: https://www.bernardinai.lt/moderni-ir....