Milda Žvirblytė (PDF)
https://doi.org/10.53631/DIS/2014.6.11
The article aims to describe the nonconformist body of work by Vincas Kisarauskas and answer what may be called ‘nonconformist practice’ and why it is so rare. It analyses the entire oeuvre of Kisarauskas and the response to it, highlighting which part of his body of work was shown publicly and when, what remained in his private space and for what reasons.
The artworks by Kisarauskas, seen throughout official exhibitions in the 1960s, exhibited traits of Italian neorealism, the impact of Lithuanian folk sculpture, symbolism, references to German expressionism and the principles of abstract painting to the extent tolerated in Soviet modernism. Prints of Kisarauskas from the 1960s explore subjects that were unacceptable to Soviet ideology, and his characters do not coincide with the model of a Soviet man. In his private inquiries into painting from c. 1965, one can notice an analytic relation to a constructivist painting by Vytautas Kairiūkštis and the Polish avant-garde of the early 20th century. A comprehensive knowledge of the Polish art scene becomes the basis for Kisarauskas, who creates an alternative discourse of modernist painting both in his artistic and theoretical practice.
Paintings and prints not shown publicly during Soviet times were known only to the closest circle of the artist’s friends. Their poor circulation may also have been due to the lack of an intellectually adequate sphere for their reception.
Keywords: artworks, modernism, constructivism, Soviet ideology, avant-garde