A glimpse at Raimundas Mikšys works: paintings and drawings 23

Gabrielė Kuizinaitė
www.kamane.lt, 2015-03-30
Raimundas Mikšys. "Grandfather's cottage loft", pastel, 39,6 x 50 cm, 1985

R. Mikšys is one of the most important representatives of the Lithuanian Expressionist painting. Experience and emotion are important for the artist’s oeuvre. The spectrum of R. Mikšys abstract painting is dynamic and changing, bearing witness to the artist's creative maturity stages, the changing relationship with the environment, nature, religion and his inner world that pulsates with expression.

It has been seven years since Kaunas bohemian environment lost R. Mikšys (1961–2008) known by his nickname Šniūras. He was not only a distinctive, original painter, working in an expressive manner, but also a participant in many get-togethers of Kaunas artists; member of discussions, according to K. Navakas "a bird of Kaunas streets and cafes." R. Mikšys belongs to the generation of departed artists. As journalist Šiaurys Narbutas, director Raimundas Kulbis, actor Viktoras Šinkariukas, painter Arūnas Vaitkūnas and many other well-known artists, he passed away much too early. Even though artist had left many works of a wide thematic variety, they have not been researched thoroughly.

The expressivity and coloring of artist's works were perhaps summarized best by A. Uždavinys "R. Mikšys represents a radical, dramatic expressionism and his works contain much of the features characteristic to this art trend: hectic creative passion, a wish to express an inner angst through abstract motifs of nature, and also a mad desire to intoxicate himself with spontaneous color combinations."

R. Mikšys works are not limited to one theme or genre. Artist's early paintings show signs of pure, traditional painting, but gradually, he moves to abstract painting and expressionist coloring. All that, enabled artist to convey his existential views, uncover his subjective perception of the world, his environment and people close to him.

Artist’s work can be thematically divided: the period of abstract painting (1990–2007) full of landscapes trees and themes of home; works created in 1985–2006 are mostly of religious themes, rendered in a technique of assemblage. During the later creative period R. Mikšys focused mostly on a black and white portrait genre, often painted friends and relatives.

The fact that artist was inspired by music is revealed by the titles of his early works: "Dedicated to Vangelis" (1991), "To Freddy Mercury" (1992). In his later works, many abstractions without titles are not only colorfully but in terms of shape very musical and playful.

Abstract works of R. Mikšys are very varied: from large canvases enriched with colors and brush strokes, abstract and associative, dynamic forms ("Abstraction" 1996) to minimalist expression ("Abstraction", "Window", "Still Life" 2007).

In the late works of R. Mikšys created with pastel, expression is changes to serenity, statics of color and shape and incredible harmony of tuned colors that claims the fullness and meaning of existence.


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