Legends of the Vilnius 10

Marius Jonutis graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts in 1990, majoring in graphic arts. Making his debut on the artistic stage, he drew the attention of the audience with his extremely colourful, decorative sheets, which stood out in the Lithuanian artistic context for their unusual vitality of worldview. His innovative nature encouraged the artist to expand the arsenal of traditional means of expression, and to go beyond the space of the sheet. This led to the creation of wooden panels, shirmas and shelves, where the cramped space of the created "worlds" gained a third dimension.

The tradition of folk sculptures, wooden toys, marionettes, enriched with expressive graphic and painterly accents, is distinctively intertwined in the works of M. Jonuitis. The world of his works delicately balances on the border of childhood reminiscences and mythological world-image. They seem to integrate the rituals of the old god-workers - sacralising human existence and anthropomorphising the divine spheres, "taming" transcendence.

The works of M. Jonuitis unintentionally remind us of the myths of World Creation. With the help of wood and paint, like a shaman, he tirelessly creates the Cosmos. It is true that he does this using a modern arsenal of expressive means, with a humorous touch of self-irony that is typical of modern man. Therefore, the artist's ode to life never turns into overt didacticism or infantile sentimentality. Rather, it is a game that gives satisfaction both to the creator and to the one who sees the fruits of this creation. The distinctive rhythm of colour patches, shapes and ornaments and the infinitely transparent, "minor" colouring play an important role in his work. All these means of expression are transformed into a dream of an earthly paradise - an undisturbed harmony and unity that pulsates with the vital rhythm of life.