On Ash trees, thorns, time and death 2015-07-10
Visual art, which has long stopped representing (only) the area of mimesis, often appears as a framework or structure that does not picture anything; as a code, a citation, a link, a comment or something that is in between, (founding) claiming its own reality. Of course, artistic creation is only a small part of a machinery that manufactures alternative realities and a painting exhibition "The relevance of Reality" held in Lithuanian Artists' Association gallery Meno Parkas in Kaunas only partly reflects their diversity.
Glass art experiences in Estonia 2015-07-09
Naturally, various travels and new experiences and impressions coincide with the summer time. In July I was able to get thoroughly acquainted with the Estonian glass artists’ work and their exhibition activities. I can claim that this time, the most interesting discoveries of this field did not happen in Tallinn, at the Estonian Academy of Arts (which is famous, since the interwar period, with its strong artistic glass education) but in the province - towns of Olustvere and Järvakandi in the central part of Estonia.
Orientalism in painting: between cruelty and beauty (part 2) 2015-06-15
It may be stated that art of the 19th century is first of all the “silent” critic of the society that embodies the existential anxiety of the modern man visually. A painting had to shock an individual: a person as a passive observer disappears, his and the painter’s conscience merge. Therefore, orientalism, which reached the artistic apogee in the 19th century, did not stay indifferent to the sores of the time: abolitionism, nationalism, war propaganda and still remained high fashion of the time.
Orientalism in painting - Turkish fashion conquers Europe (part 1) 2015-05-26
Term orientalism in literature describes the culture common to the Middle and Near East and South Asia, which Europe tries to mimic. In the series of articles Marius Vyšniauskas presents the influence of orientalism to the art of Western and Lithuanian art.
Arvydas Žalpys, "I am all for contemporary expositions" 2015-05-25
Works presented in the exhibition "Stories. The Man. (Biography Never Written)", ranging from the white empty framed sheets of paper to video documentations where creating a story that included the past and current events as well as the personal future plans. I had a conversation with Arvydas Žalpys about this exhibition, his work, influences, differences between contemporary and current art and experimentation in our current culture.
Contemporary art created with traditional means 2015-04-28
Exhibitions of two lecturers of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Kaunas Faculty are taking place in Vilnius. It is the ceramics exhibition of A. Keturakienė "Her room" (at the gallery Akademija) and J. Aukštikalnytė-Varkulevičienė painting exhibition "Boundary portraits. Conversations" (at the Šv. Jono gatvė gallery). Even though, both artists are working with traditional techniques and remain within the boundaries of their art branches, the art they are creating is conceptual.
At the first graphics biennial - conversations with the past 2015-04-27
Graphic works of Lithuanian and foreign artists were being presented for a whole month in the first International Graphics Biennial "Culture Line" (March 26 - April 26). The biennial, which was held in two exhibition spaces of Kaunas (Picture Gallery and M. Žilinskas Art Gallery) posed some questions and provided with unexpected hopes.
Search for the sign in the denuded Jorės. Egidijus Darulis painting 2015-04-20
E. Darulis painting is dominated by a consistent search for details. It is not specification - structural models and their interactions are examined and visually conveyed. His works tell a story of how the primitive forms become complex organisms.
Reflections of the graphics of the past century - in remembrance of Adolfas Vaičaitis (1915 06 16–2015 03 29) 2015-04-17
Now, already a historical exhibition of Adolfas Vaičaitis "Full Moon" fit all the main graphic art periods of the artist from a bygone era. At a small but spacious exposition we can trace the dotted lines of a long creative period: works from the college times, the graduations works, social didactic prewar posters and war time book illustrations. The after war periods abroad - in Germany and Australia - were also presented.
Seven nominations, or George Orwell and space 2015-04-10
Nominations are always fun. To receive them and to observe what they are being given for. The first Kaunas International Graphics Biennial "Culture Line" that takes place at the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery and Kaunas Picture Gallery, also could not do without nominations. When so many authors from different countries are presented with their works rendered in diverse graphics techniques, nominations help in arranging them.
