Arvydas Šaltenis Father

Arvydas Šaltenis (born 1944)
Father
1963, drb., al., 70 × 49,5
Signed. KP: Šaltenis /1963

"Why does man need art?
Through art I see how the other feels, understands the world. Through art, I can check my own worldview, my experiences, my life, I can learn, improve myself. We find mysterious connections with each other. We experience a catharsis if we are affected by the truth lived by the artist. We become more sensitive, better, sometimes maybe even smarter." ( A. Šaltenis. From an interview with the artist. Source: "Arvydas Šaltenis: "Creativity is in every person", udiena.lt).

Arvydas Šaltenis (born 1944) is a Lithuanian painter, teacher and public figure. From 1971, he taught at the Children's Art School, later at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and for a long time he held the positions of rector and vice-rector. His work focuses on everyday scenes, the city, transport, and the human condition - for example, his paintings "Post Office" (1975) and "Trolleybus" (1981) document the Soviet everyday life. His paintings are often presented as expressionist realism, close to "experimental realism", reflecting the problem of the individual's position and freedom in Soviet reality.
The significance of Šalteny's work in Lithuanian art lies in his ability to integrate realistic motifs with modern elements of painterly expression - dynamic compositions, contrasts, and a personal approach, in which direct scenes of life, without idealisation, prevail. In addition, as a teacher and head of an academic institution, he had a profound influence on several generations of Lithuanian artists, shaping study programmes and encouraging artistic renewal. Arvydas Šaltenis is thus one of the most important Lithuanian artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, combining the depiction of everyday life and the search for modern painting techniques.