Authors

Antanas Kmieliauskas

Country: Lithuania

Professor of Vilnius Academy of Arts, National Prize winner of Lithuania, one of the most comprehensive Lithuanian up-to-date painters, creative process of whose embraces almost all the arts, and who from the very first steps of his original creative activities has been working simultaneously in the fields of sculpture, painting, fresco and graphic art. The bulk of his art, particularly the works of his religious art, has been undeservedly ignored over a long period of time. The artist's original creation based upon both fundamental classical and Modern European art traditions is a significant part of the fine arts of Lithuania as well as of Lithuanian culture on the whole.

Antanas Kmieliauskas was born in the village of Olenderne, Alytus District, Lithuania, on 8 March 1932.
In 1939-1947, he attended a primary school in the town of Butrimonys, then he went to Jieznas Secondary School.
In 1947-1949, he continued his studies at Butrimonys Secondary School.
In 1949, he went to Kaunas to study at Kaunas Secondary Art School.
In 1951, having finished that school with honours, he enrolled in the Department of Painting of the State Art Institute of Lithuania. Studies at the institute lasted from 1951 to 1957.
In 1957, he graduated from the Art Institute and joined the Section of Painters of the Association of Artists.
In 1960, he was expelled for creating a sculpture for St Christopher, which was commissioned by Monsignor Ceslovas Krivaitis (the sculpture stands in front of St Nicholas Church in Vilnius).
In 1962-1979, he taught drawing and sculpture at Vilnius Children's Art School.
In 1977, he started lecturing at the Art Institute. In the beginning, he taught a course in plastic anatomy, and later he taught painting.
In 1994, he was conferred the title of Professor.

Antanas Kmieliauskas saw his first art in drawings by his uncle and godfather Nikodem in religious magazines and in the local church. He made his first independent works encouraged by the priest of Butrimonys Church Juozapas Andrukonis. The artist has never detached himself the tradition of peasant culture, has never lost his respect for a man, his love of nature and work and his belief in God.

In the first years of his independent creative activity, Antanas Kmieliauskas worked in different spheres of art, experimented and tried to combine the principles of classical and modern art in his works. Antanas Kmieliauskas has created over 60 large sculptures. Antanas Kmieliauskas' frescoes painted on religious themes can be found in Daugai Church and Klaipeda Church of the Queen of Peace, whereas a fresco dedicated to the dead political prisoners decorates the ceiling of the Rainiai Chapel of Suffering. Frescoes on historic and mythological themes adorn Vilnius University, Jesuit High School, the former Society of Cooperatives of Lithuania, Maldzio kupolas Restaurant, Viltis Pharmacy in Kaunas. Antanas Kmieliauskas' paintings include landscapes, abstract modern compositions, religious (church) pictures, portraits and self-portraits.

In his portraits the artist tries to convey the state of mind and a mysterious mood of the person portrayed. For this purpose a good drawing and the subtle nuances of colours are employed. He became interested in this kind of art while studying at the Art Institute. Later in his life, graphics were like a respite from the monumental sculptures or frescoes but they were created with no less effort. The artist creates print and ex libris on historic, urban, religious and mythological themes. Having gained experience in etching and aquatint, wood, linoleum and cardboard carving techniques, as well as with the mixed "glue" and collage technique earlier, Kmieliauskas currently works in a technique developed by himself. He devised it in the mid-60s when he started using a textolit plate for print clichés. Experimenting further, he improved and perfected his technique and today nothing can be found to compare to it. It is a mixed technique that allows an artist to obtain the most impressive colouring. The artist has created prints of architecture and compositions of people that look like many-layered ornamentation abounding in colours and textures, harbouring a mystical meaning.

Antanas Kmieliauskas' creative work is devoted to the people and, so, it remains within their hearts. His memorial monuments and frescoes, his portraits and ex libris, which immortalise people, retain one of the oldest functions of creativity - to be dedicated to others or even to be a real sanctuary. Antanas Kmieliauskas has been an expert at his profession, even during the most difficult decades of his creative life, as well as a fundamentalist who has preserved the principles of art, which has stood the test of time, promoted essentially free creative activity that is controlled by eternal laws only.

Sculptures:
SVAJONĖ