STASYS UŠINSKAS A DIFFERENT VISION OF THE WORLD

STASYS UŠINSKAS

Stasys Ušinskas (1905–1974) is one of the most unique Lithuanian artists of the 20th century, who surprises us with his vast talent and unusual worldview. The artist studied at Kaunas School of Arts, later continued studies in Paris. Stasys Ušinskas expressed his extraordinary talent in many creative fields: painting, stained glass, theatre, glass, leaving bright and exceptional imprint in each. He is named the pioneer of modern stained glass and animation in Lithuania.

In 1938, Stasys Ušinskas made the first sound animated puppet film in Lithuania, STORULIO SAPNAS (“The Dream of the Fatty”). With this work, Ušinskas wanted to demonstrate the technical possibilities of puppets and to show what can be achieved in this field of art, still new at that time.

THE DREAM OF THE FATTY was screened not only in Lithuania, but also several times in the United States. After the American animation film company Dalcompany showed interest and offered to create an animated film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale THE NIGHTINGALE, Ušinskas started working on it, but implementation of the idea was thwarted by the Second World War.

In June 2019, collection of puppet sketches by Stasys Ušinskas, and the first animated puppet film in Lithuania, THE DREAM OF THE FATTY, were recognized as a collection of national significance and were inscribed into the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, Lithuanian National Register.