Portrait of Jadvyga Tūbelienė
Portrait of Jadvyga Tūbelienė
Portrait of Jadvyga Tūbelienė

Portrait of Jadvyga Tūbelienė

Author: Vienožinskis Justinas, 1886 - 1960

Created: 1936.

Material / technique: oil on canvas.

Dimensions: 80.5x68.5 cm.

Signature: J. Vien / 1936 ( in the top-left corner of the painting).

Justinas Vienožinskis (1886–1960) continues the theme of commissioned art in his portraits of the members of the Tūbelis family (1936). The portrait of Jadvyga Chodakauskaitė-Tūbelienė is subtle, filled with elegance and finesse. Romantic and soft hues attest to the warm relationship between the artist and the person portrayed. The painting is a reflection of feminine charm. Reminiscences of the contemporaries and historiography emphasise the mental prowess, diplomatic talent, and efficiency of this woman. Tūbelienė is known as the wife of Juozas Tūbelis, the Prime Minister of the first Republic of Lithuania for many years, and the chairman of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union. Tūbelienė was also a sister of Sofija Smetonienė, the wife of the Lithuanian President. Tūbelienė was a well-known public figure and an active member of the social and charity organisations of Lithuanian women. Ingrida Jakubavičienė, who took an active part in the political life of Lithuania, wrote: ‘Tūbelienė was a very prominent person. She was educated, ambitious, brave and even adventurous, but at the same time she was a fervent patriot, energetic public servant of the young Republic, and an active participant in political events. At all times she remained a faithful supporter of the political plans of her husband and her brother-in-law.

Refrence: Description of the "Meetings" exhibition. - M. K.Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas.

The portrait of Jadvyga Chodakauskaitė-Tūbelienė (1892–1988) is a rare example of woman’s portraiture in interwar Lithuania. In this respect, it could be compared with the portrait of Ona Brazauskaitė- Mašiotienė (1930, LDM), the founder of the Lithuanian Women’s Council and the wife of the writer and teacher Pranas Mašiotas, painted by Adomas Varnas, or with the bas-relief portraits by Petras Rimša, mostly of Lithuanian women abroad. The posture of the model leads us to the assumption that the picture was painted using a photographic portrait. It expresses the beauty of a woman with fragile features, her elegance, her resoluteness and intelligence. Tūbelienė was an educated and socially active woman: she edited the paper Tautininkų balsas (The Voice of the Nationalists’ Party), contributed to the magazine Motina ir vaikas (Mother and Child), and headed the board of organisations under the Association for the Support of Mothers and Children. The artist’s attention to details of the model’s clothing is noteworthy: the style of the dress, the type of fabric, and the amber necklace are depicted precisely. For Justinas Vienožinskis (1886–1960), similar costume details were only important in his famous Self-portrait (ČDM) painted the same year.

Reference:  "More Than Just Beauty. The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection." Compiled by G. Jankevičiūtė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2012, P. 44.

Exhibitions:  Exhibition of the Fine Arts Collection of dr. Jaunius Gumbis "Meetings", 2015 July 3 - September 6, M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas; “More Than Just Beauty: The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection”, 12 October – 11 November 2012, National Gallery of Art; Vilnius  Exhibition of the Fine Arts Collection of Edmundas Armoška "Outcrops of Lithuanian Art 16th–21th Centuries" 2008 July 3 - August 31, Lithuanian Art Museum, Vilnius.

Published: "More Than Just Beauty. The Image of Woman in the LAWIN collection." Compiled by G. Jankevičiūtė. Vilnius, LAWIN, 2012, Kat. No. 3, P. 44; "Outcrops of Lithuanian Art 16th–21th Centuries" , Vilnius  Exhibition of the Fine Arts Collection of Edmundas Armoška, Vilnius: Lithuanian Art Museum, 2008 Kat. No. III, 158, P. 133; "Lithuanian history for everyone". Second volume. The publishing house of R. Paknys, 2019 . P. 151; "Kaunas-Vilnius 1918-1945”, The Art collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas. Compilars D. Barcytė, dr. I. Burbaitė. Vilnius, 2021, P. 102.