Pobierz plik - Grundtvig

they complained about the cold. They all keenly
visited our Catholic churches; the Old Town with
its colourful vendor houses proved so attractive
that it became the most popular theme of pictures
painted by the Lithuanian guests. They also fell for
the local heritage park; the Lithuanians entered
the huts, recognized utensils they knew from their
country and were interested in the interior design.
The Cypriot women were overwhelmed with nature,
contemplating the ponds, slowly walking on
the carpet of leaves on the park’s paths, taking a
good look at bushes displayed against the wooden
sculptures. They looked with great interest at
the trees and the falling leaves. The architecture
served as background for the pictures they took
while trees were in the foreground. The ladies
held in their hands colourful autumn leaves which
were also the main motif of their paintings.
The partners’ stay at Zielona Góra ended with
an exhibition of pictures painted in open air.
Valerija Tarabildien, a painter from Vilnius attending
the meeting presented her extraordinary pictures
recorded on DVD. Kazys Rimtas Tarabilda,
her husband, a painter and teacher, wished that
the fire started there kept burning.
We could verify the truthfulness of this wish
during the last meeting of the project held in May
2007 in Lithuania. This was a moving visit during
which the befriended groups met in a cordial atmosphere.
The Dalia gallery offered an opportunity
to visit an extremely interesting exhibition of
works by senior citizens from Vilnius. We paid attention
to the fact that they painted the beauty of
their world with very bold strokes, often resulting
in surprising colours, and freely resorting to various
techniques. We were toured around by Valerij
and Rimtas Tarabildo, two teachers from the Vilnius
Design Teaching Centre, who we were already
acquainted with from outdoor painting in Zielona
Góra. The conference room was adorned with
paintings – fruits of the painting sessions in Zielona
Góra depicting the vintner’s house from the heritage
park and the church in Chynów (a district
in Zielona Góra). The hosts presented a most interesting
agenda, suggesting visits to Lithuania’s
three capitals: Kernavè, Trakai and Vilnius.
Barbara (65), a learner attending the meeting,
described her impressions: On the following day
we were visiting the first Lithuanian capital - Kernavè.
Before we reached it, we visited en route
the Oak Forest in Dûkštas - a historic and natural
monument. To some extent, it was an intellectual
adventure, as always ensured by exposure to
a different system of beliefs, an ancient religion
and mentality of societies doomed to annihilation
by foreign invaders centuries ago. (…) I was particularly
interested in one sculpture: a figure of a
woman entangled with tongues of fire which she
pressed against her womb with a strong hand.
When I asked about the goddess depicted in this
sculpture, I heard about Babita, the goddess of
fire”. (…) I could not get that Babita out of my
head, tossing and turning almost all night long.
The next day I painted with oil pastels a female
figure emerging from a dark forest. We left the
woods and took a coach trip to Kernavè, the first
capital of Lithuania and the stronghold of prince
Gediminas. Then we reached on foot high burial
mounds on the banks of the Neris. I cherish that
moment: we walk down these mounds, all the way
down, to the river bank. I look at the river, seize a
brush, facing a water colour sheet of paper. The
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