The whisper of shadows VI

"When I create, I don't try to surprise anyone, I just look for depth, divinity and light. My paintings are reflections of spaces, visions, visions, far removed from realistic landscapes. Rather, I paint fragments of childhood dreams, past or future lives, which suggest that there is no time. In the golden or purple blades of the waves, in the blooming suns, in the clouds melting like wax, I feel the Great Power that created us and everything around us," says the author.

Looking at the landscapes of Simon Gutauskas, you will undoubtedly notice one common feature - light. Light is the main object of representation here, whether it is bright or dim, it has the greatest emotional charge, so we cannot talk about the work of this artist without talking about light. It sets the mood of the whole work, and one can see how the artist enjoys playing not only with the fire in the sky, but also with its reflections on the surface of the water (it is no coincidence that the motif of water is so common). However, where there is light, there will always be shadow - this contrast only enhances the magic of light and creates a magical, mysterious atmosphere. If the famous Claude Monet had said "I want to paint light" more than a hundred years ago, Gutauskas would have vigorously agreed with him.

And this interest in light is completely natural for the artist, and comes not only from his admiration for the Impressionists, but also from his first specialisation in stained glass. And if you look at it now, you will notice that these landscapes are very stained-glass indeed - notice the bright colours, the constructive forms, the thick, even palpable brushstrokes that create a sculptural relief. But this synthesis is completely organic and perfectly serves the overall artistic idea.

Finally, with regard to the landscape itself, we would like to draw your attention to the tenderness and reverence with which the painter looks at the nature that surrounds him, and the care, diligence and love that goes into each stroke. Nature in the paintings of Simon Gutauskas is mysterious, transcending the limits of human cognition, containing within itself the temporal and the eternal, and taking your breath away. We can't imagine that you will feel it too.

Simonas Gutauskas was born on February 2, 1965 in Vilnius. In 1982 he graduated from the M.K. Čiurlionis Art School, in 1990 - from the State Art Institute (now Vilnius Academy of Arts), where he acquired the speciality of a monumental artist. Since 1999 he has been a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Union. He works in the field of stained glass and painting, and has held over 30 solo exhibitions in Lithuania. 

His works are in private collections in Lithuania, the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Poland.