We invite you to the opening of Sigitas Lukauskas’ painting exhibition on October 1 at 6:00 PM!
The exhibition will run until October 31.
After living and working in Vilnius for nearly 40 years, Sigitas Lukauskas chose a quiet life in his native countryside near Gargždai, by the beautiful Minija and the mysterious Žvelsa rivers. Though this life may be harsh and not entirely comfortable, it is genuine and offers many impulses for reflection and creativity—painting, watercolor work, and drawing.
Nature plays a crucial role for the artist, from the smallest changes in its moods and colors to the shades suggested by the sun, twilight, or sunset, the clarity of the sky, the green of trees and sprouts, or the brown hue of grass under the sun. While moods are important, details are not as significant. Sigitas speaks in a language of summarized and restrained geometry of colors and forms.
To fully appreciate Lukauskas’ paintings, it helps to look at them with slightly narrowed eyes, revealing the clear structure of the work and the artist’s experience in abstraction. With eyes wide open, one notices the metaphorical figuration: a woman, a stern haymaker, a washerwoman, or a girl riding a bicycle along a rural road, with the horizon stretching out in the sunlight.
Horizons, the sky, the setting sun or the dawning morning, a road stretching into the distance, power poles, and signs in the sky—all these details are captured by the artist’s sensitive eye. Sigitas Lukauskas looks around, gazes up at the sky, and watches the quietly flowing river, all of which he already envisions in his paintings, on the canvas. His eyes focus on the signs of nature, traces of human activity, and daily rituals, all reflected in large-format paintings or miniatures, each of which could be expanded into a grand panel.
The changing seasons are crucial to the artist. In his paintings, the fresh colors of summer give way to the tones of autumn, then to the monochrome of winter, and the fragile green of spring. Everything cycles, just like in human existence, where mourning is followed by the joy of birth, and sorrow by carefree laughter.
Sigitas Lukauskas is sensitive to color and generalized forms, materializing the intertwined structures of signs with restraint, transitioning from strict schemes and clear contours to the metaphysics of forms with the lightness of watercolor.
His work conveys a great deal of truth and emotional self-reflection, hidden knowledge about the fragility of the world, and sometimes, “a pain suppressed in the heart.” The sparse metaphors, the resonance of colors, and a subtle hint of sarcasm attract with their simplicity, universal human experiences, and a deep sensitivity to the beauty of the world. Lukauskas is an artist living in peace with God, nature, and humanity.
Sigitas Lukauskas (born 1959) graduated in painting from the Vilnius Academy of Arts (1985–1991) and was one of the first graduates to defend a diploma cycle of abstract paintings (supervised by Linas Katinas). He participated in the activities of the group SEL (super ex libris) alongside Tomas Gečiauskas, Rimvydas Markeliūnas, Rasa Staniūnienė, and Sigitas Staniūnas. In his early career, he painted expressive abstractions and later held several installation exhibitions. In recent years, his works combine a painting style based on the contrast between generalized forms, clear structures, pure colors, and subtle nuances. Sigitas Lukauskas has exhibited his works in Lithuania, Canada, Finland, and Greece. This exhibition offers the opportunity to see new works created over the past few years and a few earlier, previously unseen pieces.
The exhibition is curated by Vaidilutė Brazauskaitė-Lupeikienė.
