“Take a long slow look at the subject, then draw as quickly as the mind remembers it”
Viktoras was a superb minimalist graphic artist. His line is effortless, soaring or sinking in a free flow.
Expression is spontaneous in his quick sketches – be they nudes or Trio of musicians. They express the pulsating rhythm of the music with the positions of their bodies and instruments. Viktoras doesn’t force meaning upon the onlooker.
Those who delight in examining the details of his works are in for a great surprise and realise how much freedom of interpretation he gives the public. This trait is so compatible with his character for he was a most generous man. He also uses a great deal of juxtaposition, in a series of graphic art pictures which are so intriguing.
Take for instance the pen and ink picture Before the Race. The leader in the middle has a set jaw and an authoritarian expression, the two “mates or onlookers” on the left don’t seem too bright and are quite submissive. This is well accentuated with their square heads and forward leaning torsos, while the other two figures on the right side are straight and display a more nonchalant attitude.
Reclining Nude – Pen and ink, 1972
Trio I – Wide nib and ink
Before the Race – Pen and ink, c~1985
“The pen is as mighty as you think it is”
“As a friend I found him totally loyal, honest in art likes and dislikes and why? He would humorously bring me down on earth when my imagination got the better of me. We came both on the same ship “Skaugum” to Australia and had contact with the Lithuanian contingent on board.”
“He liked smoking, and did so for 46 years. Then the day he turned 60, after a habitual daily pack of 20 non-filters, he crumpled up the last packet and never smoked again.”
“He loved helping out the Lithuanian Community in Melbourne with his art. But he never put forward his name for election to the community’s Executive Committee. That was not out of shyness, but rather due to his knowing that his art would serve the community best.”
June 2017
Bonegilla – Victoria 1949-50
These "Balts" : The press described them as attractive, cheery, eager to work, adaptable and neatly clad. They were 'particularly good types'.
August 2016
The First Book
Teaching children how to pronounce a 4,000 year old language was reduced down to a delightfully musical and picturesque book
July 2016
Logo design
What is the secret to a very strong logo? Well, it isn't being too clever....
Images of biblical moments
The Reference
Life Studies
Visits to the Albert Street Victorian Artist's Society for life drawing lessons were more than just sharpening pencils, they sharpened the eye and the wit as well!
L’École des Artes et Metiers
An oasis of artistic learning for expatriate Lithuanian artists
