Kaunas Artists' House Lithuanian art news website
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After the death of A. Martinaitis in 1986, Arūnas inherited the workshop at the decision of the Artists’ Union. Arūnas had to repaint the wall which was turned into a telephone book by A. Martinaitis: “I could not work here otherwise. I felt like I was in a museum rather in a workshop. Still, I could not be in the empty workshop. White walls and nothing. A thing or an interior was necessary which would have some emotional information. Only later I felt that everything was rising from the inside.”
Rumours were heard while studying at Vilnius Art Academy that there was one very gifted painter in Kaunas. Some Arūnas Vaitkūnas. We heard in 1984 that his one-man exhibition was opened in the premises of the Artists’ Union in K.Donelaičio Street.
In brief: A festival is taking place at Kaunas State Musical Theatre again. The culprit of it is the premiere of the operetta of Franz Lehar “The Merry Widow” staged at the theatre for the sixth time already. The variant of the work directed by Valius Staknys in 1988 may be still remembered by people who have seen it. Therefore, a rather big number of the audience, which sat in the theatre hall on the first weekend of April, compared the new staging with impressions experienced two decades ago.
In brief: After the death of the painter Didžiokienė, the Artists’ Union took over the house of Didžiokai and the homestead in Dovainonys. Artists could live in that house, create there and look after the homestead.
In brief: On April 9 Kaunas Architecture and Urbanism Experts’ Council (KAUET) considered the possibilities of building a monument for the priest Antanas Mackevičius, the technical project of the multi-apartment house at Gedimino Str.10 and the pre-project offers of the building reconstruction at K.Donelaičio Str.33. The chairman was Gintaras Prikockis.
In brief: Minimalism in contemporary world and Lithuanian architecture is a wide-spread phenomenon. It derives from rationalism and functionalism of the beginning of the 20th century but, in general, the principles of minimalism exist from the ancient times and are related to various activities of people.
In brief: The author concludes that a talented artist will always find methods how he/she may turn attention to the most urgent problems by avoiding destruction of animals in artworks. Art should not be censored but self-censorship is necessary for every artist – he/she should understand where freedom ends and destruction starts in creation. Otherwise, the next marginal step – unethical and forced abuse of a man (a child, asocial or psychically impaired person) in artworks may also become the question of time and agreement.
Two projects change the face of Karaliaus Mindaugo Avenue radically. A new parish house is being designed in the land plot of the Resurrection Church. In both cases the exceptional location and its importance requires sensitivity and wisdom while accepting urbanistic and architectural decisions.
