Antanas Jaroševičius

Antanas Jaroševičius (1870–1956) was a Lithuanian painter best known for his album of Lithuanian crosses published in 1912 and life-long interest in Lithuanian folk art.

He graduated from the Baron Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design in Saint Petersburg in 1899 and later taught in Orlov and Kazan until 1920. Despite the long distance, he continued to be involved in Lithuanian cultural life and published various articles in the Lithuanian press. He studied Lithuanian folk art, in particular Lithuanian crosses, during his summer vacations. He participated in the First Exhibition of Lithuanian Art in 1907 and was an active member of the Lithuanian Art Society. In 1912, the society published his album of detailed drawings of Lithuanian crosses – it is considered the first study of Lithuanian folk art. In 1921, Jaroševičius returned to Lithuania and settled on a farm near Giedraičiai. He refused a position at the University of Lithuania and taught art and crafts at the Giedraičiai Progymnasium until 1935 (the school is now named after him). He continued his studies of Lithuanian folk art and encouraged his students to keep the traditions alive. He died in poverty and obscurity in 1956.

Biography Early life and education Jaroševičius was born in the village of into a family of a blacksmith. After the Uprising of 1863, the family acquired land and began farming. The family was large – three daughters and six sons.