Author(s): Dalia Karatajienė / Language(s): Polish
Issue: 03+04/2004
In 1999, when Lithuania gained independence, the
Postmodernist style started influencing art in the country.
Artistic groups, which were formed at the beginning of the
1990’s, were not stable. Art historians should rather concentrate
on artists and not on artistic groups, when they write
about Lithuanian art of that period. Lithuania doesn’t have
national gallery. The Art Academy in Wilno isn’t the only
artistic school and doesn’t the monopoly on artistic education.
There are many short-lived artistic phenomena, which
only serve commercial and advertising purposes. Art historians
and art critics face problems, when they try to write about
contemporary Lithuanian art, because the situation is rather
chaotic and there is no broad platform, where artists could
meet. Nevertheless, artistic landscape in Lithuania changes
and becomes more and more interesting. The Soviet motifs
in art disappear from the scene. In 1991, Geographic Institute
in Paris decided that the geographic center of Europe is near
Wilno. Lithuanian authorities decided to establish a plainair
museum in that area. It was the European Park. In that
area, there are located many pieces of Avantgarde sculpture
by Lithuanian artists. Also, the Park initiates and manages
international cultural and artistic exchange projects. Park
directors and curators cooperate with cultural institutions in
such countries as, for example, Armenia, Bielorus, the Czech
Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, the Great Britain,
India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, the
U.S.A., Ukraine and Venezuela. Gintaras Kuros ‘planted’ a
commemorative tree in the Park. It is entitled ‘The Tree of
Information, LNK Intomedis’. It is made of 3,135 used television
sets and it is growing. In Wilno, there are 115 pieces
of sculpture located in different areas of the city. Many painters
show contemporary scenes in Lithuania. Algirdas
Groszkiwiczius and Jurate Mykolaityte show Wilno in their
cityscapes. Rajmundas Slizius mostly shows self-satisfied,
happy people. Vygautas Paukszta refers to existential themes.
Algis Skaczkauskas likes color contrasts. Ruta Katiliute,
Klaudiusz Petreiko, Dalia Kascziunaite, Arunas Tornau continue
the abstract tradition of painting. Lithuanian photography
was discussed by Eugeniusz Karpowiczius in his book
entitled ‘Photography in Wilno from 1858 to 1915’.
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