Ashes Painting – the way of meaningfulness of Vigintas Stankus (1962-2018) life in creation. Meditative monochrome paintings, like monuments, have made the point of the artist’s life. Inspired by oriental wabi-sabi (“modest simplicity”, one of Japan’s aesthetic philosophies), they are filled with eternal peace, majesty and asceticism.
In the exhibition “Ashes”, the retrospective of V. Stankus’ artworks is presented. Here you will see the path of the artist’s creative research – as an allusion to the time line of life – from the silent and gentle early “Japanese” abstractions to the heavy, polysemantic, meditative “ashes.”
V. Stankus was born in Kaunas, graduated from Vilnius Art Academy majoring in glass and stained glass. He joined the art scene together with active artists of that time, who were driving the changes in Kaunas. The art field became very active during the first years of Lithuanian independency. Lithuanian painters’ groups were forming and trying to present a new generation of art to public, free from control of Soviet art institutions.
At the same time the abstract Neo-Expressionism emerged as one of the dominant forms in painting. At the time of all these events Vigintas Stankus formed his creative style. As a calmer personality and follower of Eastern martial arts philosophy, the artist kept a distance from the most active processes of the scene. He was a professional sportsman, one of the first to get a karate black belt in Lithuania; he used the teachings of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism to establish self-discipline, and to patiently and consistently work towards his goal. Each day starting with meditation, Vigintas touched the canvas only in a good mood. Anger and negative emotions never inspired him, he did not try to shock the viewer, but strived to find a harmony with himself and share it through the painting with the world.
His early paintings on paper, cardboard and canvas breathe with fresh light, freedom and expressive strokes. A bit later his works become filled with heavy textures of paint, crossing and covering each other, and thin lines, connecting the different areas on canvas. Vigintas never stopped experimenting with the texture of canvas, using not only paint but also ash. Vigintas Stankus is a distinctive and interesting creator, who left a large collection of abstract, associative, expressive paintings and drawings. Abstractions of various forms represent the harmonious and open relationship with the world, which can be felt in his paintings. Maybe that is the reason why Stankusʼ art is so multi-layered and immersive.
The opening of the exhibition: 14/03/19, 18:00
Curator of the exhibition: Julija Dailidėnaitė
LDS Gallery, Vokiečių str. 2, Vilnius
The exhibition will run from 14 March to 8 April.