Vladas Karatajus

August 11, 2023 / September 13, 2023

Paintings

Vladas Karatajus was born in Vilkaviškis, 1925. From 1946 till 1952 hestudied at the Lithuanian State Institute of Fine Arts (now Vilnius Academy of Arts) and from 1952 till 1992 he taught painting and composition there. In 1965 the artist was granted the title of associate professor. From 1968 till 1979 he was the Head of the painting department of VDI. In 1972 he was granted a title of a deserving artist, in 1975 awarded the title of professor. In 1976 he became a laureate of the state prize and in 1985, he was awarded the title of People's Artist.

Vladas Karatajus’s work is characterized by lyricism, vivid psychological characters, solid composition, generalized forms, rich, contrasting colors, expressive broad strokes. The author early discovered "his" genre - portrait, seeing its wide possibilities of knowing reality. He always respected man, nature, but he had to work a lot to avoid the illustrativeness of the domestic portrait, the dogmatic attitudes of the portrait. (...)

The artist also painted many landscapes. The early ones are lyrical, soft, some of them are sketch like. "I indulge nature," the artist admits, "because I work in it, I fish, I travel. I work even in winter. I'm not looking for special effects. I find beauty in everyday life and in nature, if, of course, it is not destroyed by humans."

The artist organized close to 100 group and personal exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad. His works have been recognized and awarded by many prizes and awards. The works of Vladas Karatajus have been purchased by Lithuanian and foreign museums and private collectors, written about in the periodical press more than once. His works have been reproduced in many art albums.