Juozas Zikaras

Juozas Zikaras

Juozas zikaras , (born November 6 ^{. Jul} / 18th November  1881 ^greg. In the village Paljukai, Panevėžys District Municipality ; † 10. November 1944 in Kaunas ) was a Lithuanian sculptor and medalist .

Life

Zikaras received his first training at the drawing school of Ivan Trutnew of the Vilnius Art Academy and continued it from 1904 to 1906 at the evening school with Josef Montwill in Vilnius . From 1907 to 1910 he studied at the St. Petersburg School of the Society for the Promotion of Art. In 1910 he was accepted into the Petersburg Art Academy . In the sculpture department he studied under Giro Saleman and Vladimir Beklemischew . In 1915 he finished his studies, began his thesis, but was drafted into the army. His thus unfinished work The Mother (Мать) took part in the exhibition of the diploma theses, so that Zikaras received the diploma and a silver medal for his work in October 1916 .

After his discharge from the army, he taught at various Petrograd schools. In 1918 he returned to Lithuania with his family. From 1918 to 1928 he taught at high schools in Panevėžys . From 1928 he lived in Kaunas - here he taught at the local art school until 1940 and then until 1944 at the Institute for Applied Art. Zikaras committed suicide in Kaunas in 1944.

In 1972 a memorial museum was inaugurated in his hometown of Paljukai in his honor. There is also a corresponding museum in Kaunas, which is housed in his former home.

Among other things, he created some monumental monuments, relief and portrait sculptures . Here he not only created portraits of people of his time, but also saints . He also drew for the designs of the coins that were issued on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Lithuania's independence in 1928 .