Petras Rimsa

Rimsa, Petras 

(in Lithuanian, P. Rimša). Born Nov. 11 (23), 1881, in the village of Naudžiai, in present-day Vilkaviškis Raion, Lithuanian SSR; died Oct. 2, 1961, in Kaunas. Soviet sculptor. People’s Artist of the Lithuanian SSR (1951).

Rimsa studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris with M.-J.-A. Mercié in 1903 and 1904, at the Academy of Arts in Kraków with K. Laszczka in 1904 and 1905, and at the school of the Society for the Promotion of the Arts from 1909 to 1911. Beginning in 1919, Rimsa worked in Lithuania.

Rimsa’s early works were often marked by social criticism and were stylistically close to Russian academic sculpture of the early 20th century. Between 1910 and 1920 his sculptures showed influences of art nouveau and Lithuanian folk wood carving. After 1920, Rimsa mainly produced portraits in low relief and medals. These works were marked by rhythmic composition, two-dimensional and ornamental treatment of form, and great detail (for example, the K. Donelaitis Medal, bronze, 1955, M. K. Čiurlionis Kaunas Art Museum).

REFERENCES

Budrys, S. Piatras Rimsha. Moscow, 1961.
Rimantas, J. Petras Rimša pasakoja. Vilnius, 1964.