Jerzy Hoppen, St. Philip and St. James Church in Lukiskes Square

Jurgis Hoppen (Jerzy Hoppen, 1891-1969)
The Church of St. Philip and St. James in Lukiskes Square
1924, copper engraving, 14 × 18, sheet 19,5 × 25
Sign. AD: (in a clip) J. Hoppen 1924

Jurgis Hoppen (1891 - 1969)- graphic artist, painter. In 1913 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. 1914-1921 lived in Petrograd. From 1921 onwards, he studied art at Vilnius University and taught at the Vilnius Drawing School. From 1931 he was an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Vilnius Stephen's University and head of the Graphic Workshop (associate professor - 1937). From 1946 he lived in Poland. 1947-1961 Head of the Department of Graphic Arts at the University of Toruń.
In his historicist work, he was both an artist and a historian, as well as a restorer. Hopen painted images of Vilnius, created theatre sets, book illustrations and restored the interiors of architectural monuments in and around Vilnius. However, he is best known for his carvings. The Baroque and Classical architecture of Vilnius became the main motif of his graphic works. In 1924-1927, he published the cycle "Old Vilnius" in three folders, combining visible realism with romantic moods. The level of the series is evidenced by the fact that the British Museum in London, the National Library in Paris, and the Graphic Arts Cabinet of the Warsaw University Library, among others, bought them for their collections. These engravings were also appreciated at the Polish Graphic Salon in Warsaw in 1928 and were awarded a silver medal in Poznan in 1929 (based on information from the LDM Artists Database and "Vilnius Art School and its Traditions", ed. J. Malinowski, M. Woźniak; R. Janonienė. Toruń: Muzeum Okręgowe w Toruniu, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika; Vilnius: Vilniaus Dailės Akademija, 1996; p. 339).