Minimal still life

Modestas Malinauskas's works are loved by Lithuanian people. In his workshop, the painter, puffing on his favourite pipe, immerses himself in the element of fantastic painting. Malinauskas' paintings are interesting in their compositions. He constructs rationally, using many elements of mechanisms, reminiscent of the mechanical devices typical of the steampunk style, fantastic vehicles. In his paintings, the artist depicts a lot of small details, which intertwine to form larger compositional elements, and all of this is combined with motifs from dreams and fantasy worlds. Malinauskas's compositions are complex, where not only the main object is important, but also the surrounding environment, whose structure is complex and full of fantastic elements.

Combining contemporary techniques, surrealist motifs and an impressionistic play of light and colour, Malinauskas creates paintings that transport you to worlds of beauty and fantasy. The need for aesthetics in his paintings is still relevant to people today, especially those who grew up with fairy tales. Malinauskas's limitless world of imagination gives the viewer the opportunity to immerse himself in the plane of dreams and reveries, where fairy-tale objects and shapes emerge in a sea of colours. Malinauskas uses a defined and purified colour palette in his works, which is derived from the natural colour combinations of our region and the Baltic concept. Synthetic colours are deliberately avoided, and subtle earthy, autumnal tones predominate. Malinauskas' paintings shimmer with purple Baltic sunsets, and are discreetly shrouded in the mist of fog or the greyness of rain clouds. The artist's paintings are characterised by colour sensitivity, conceptually and meaningfully juxtaposing warm and cold halftones. The saturated colouring is complemented by abstraction in the composition and expressiveness in the underpainting. The artist's works are full of impressionistic shimmering, the transformation of an object into a complex, intricate object. The artist's works are like skillfully constructed fairy tale puzzles. All the paintings are technically sophisticated and complete. Malinauskas is guided by his professional knowledge of the craft of painting and carefully considered compositions.

Combining contemporary techniques, surrealist motifs and a pre-knowledge of what the final result of the work should be, it comes from a particular approach. The active participation in international exhibitions has helped to shape this approach. Having seen and experienced the diversity of painting art, Malinauskas has developed a stable and unique style. The artist has mastered very large painting formats, although he prefers large canvases more often. His relationship with the positive world of fairy tales is not accidental, he technically fulfils this theme and chooses it in an argumentative way. His unique style and constructive thinking is what makes Malinauskas' work valuable in the context of contemporary folk art.

Art Historian

Gailė Markūnienė, 2020