An article about the Lithuanian engraving artist, she briefly describes his life and work, revealing his vision of the world. The article describes the influence of the works of S. Krasauskas, the artist’s biography, his personal life, recent years, as well as the legacy. The description of linocut "Youth" is given, the cycle "Eternally Alive" (1973-1975), the cycle of engravings "The Birth of a Woman" are considered. The awards and titles of the artist are described, as well as the features of the work of Stasis Krasauskas.
The influence of the artist
When the generation of the 60-70s is told about Stasis Krasauskas, not everyone remembers this artist, but it’s enough to show a few of his works, as youth returns. His works were then for boys and girls lighthouses into adulthood, which seemed to be full of romance, justice, kindness. Therefore, I remember the cover of The Youth with a gentle, soft and kind girlish face in the halo of branches and leaves, and prints from the Eternally Alive series.
Engraver Biography
Stasis Krasauskas biography is quite ordinary. Born on June 1, 1929 in the second largest city of Lithuania, Kaunas. He graduated from Kaunas High School, then (1948-1952) studied at the Vilnius Institute of Physical Culture and Sports. Eight times was the champion of the Lithuanian SSR in swimming, easily won first places, swimming in different styles at different distances.
But the craving for art won. Stasis Krasauskas, a spirit and gift artist, entered the Vilnius Art Institute of Lithuania and graduated with honors (1952-1958). Since 1961, he is a teacher at the same institute.
Not even thirty years old, Stasis Krasauskas is already gaining recognition as one of the best schedules in Lithuania. Artistic by nature, he tries and finds himself everywhere: singing, playing in the theater, acting in films. He is also interested in journalism. And in all his endeavors, success awaited him, as if he had studied and walked towards this for many years.
Personal life
Stasis Krasauskas married in 1953. His wife is a wonderful woman, Niele Leschu-Kaitite. It was she who was always there, more than once was seen in the most diverse works of the master, her image as a woman and mother, precisely his feelings for her and children are filled with his work. Such women are called the muses of artists. Niele gave birth to two daughters for the artist: Rasu in 1955, and Aiste in 1960.
Heritage
Stasis Krasauskas performed engravings in different ways: he worked in the techniques of woodcut, lithography, performed linocuts and etchings. His chisel belongs to easel engravings and illustrations to the works of classics (Shakespeare's sonnets, “Song of Songs”). Especially a lot of engravings on the works of contemporaries: Mezhelaitis, Marcinkevičius and others. His legacy is a huge number of drawings. He is the author of a whole xylographic cycle illustrating the poems of J. Martsinkevičius, “Blood and Ashes” (1960), autoscinographic works of the Wall series (1969), woodcut illustrations for the book of poems by E. Mezhelaitis “Man” (1961-1962), engravings to the collections of E. Mezhelaitis “Cardiogram” and “Aerial studies”, to the work of A. T. Venzlova “Do you know that land?” (1964).
He illustrated the poem of his close friend Robert Rozhdestvensky “Requiem” (1961), voicing in vivid images stunning lines of memory.
In the technique of auto-zincography, the artist performed illustrations for Shakespeare's Sonnets (1966). He did not leave his attention close to him in spirit and relating to the biblical "Old Testament", filled with gentle love, "Song of Songs" by King Solomon. He also owns the engravings of the poem Vladimir Ilyich Lenin by Vladimir Mayakovsky (1970).
Linocut "Youth"
The most famous work of Stasis is the linocut “Youth” (1961), it was taken by the magazine “Youth” as an emblem and really became the emblem of the youth of the 70-80s of the last century, as the famous drawing by Pablo Picasso of a woman with a dove - the emblem of the world. Green leaves are gently woven into the hair and face (although the engraving is black and white), everything seems young and gentle, being one. She is also depicted on the tombstone of the artist.
It is possible and necessary to note the cycle from the series of engravings “Movement” (1971), where the author seems to be passionate about the movement and involved in the chaos of life.
The cycle of Stasis Krasauskas "Eternally Alive" (1973-1975)
“Fight”, “Memory”, “Dreams”, “Life” - these, according to the artist’s custom, are brief and succinct designations of all parts of the engraving cycle that cover all stages of human life from birth to the end, the circle has closed - “Forever Alive”.
Prints of this cycle make everyone who saw them stop and think. Viewers often call them "gloomy", many rarely inspect the entire cycle. But memory again returns these extraordinary works, returns to the need to remember those who gave their lives for a brighter future, so that children were born and grew up, boys and girls loved each other, and life went on without wars and loss of life.
The artist himself survived the Second World War when he was a child. The tragedy of people involved in the chaos and horror of war forever remained in his memory and in his works.
In the series of prints by Stasis Krasauskas “Eternally Alive”, the plot used is the fresco “The Sower” from Zelenopoly, Kaliningrad Region, created on the facade of the Church of Berchersdorf by an unknown artist in memory of the soldiers who fell during the First World War.
Engraving cycle “The Birth of a Woman”
With Stasis Krasauskas, the birth of a woman on the sheets of engravings is carried out slowly, gradually. On every sheet of auto-zincography there is a transformation: from ignorance to knowing oneself, to knowing motherhood as the main task, to understanding the meaning of life. The next stage of development is the transformation from youth to maturity, perfection, knowledge of the whole world.
The whole cycle is permeated with the epicurean joy of being, the joy of motherhood, but also with an understanding of the ambiguity and complexity of life.
The woman of the cycle is a type of Eve. Reality and cosmos are neighbors, friends, shimmer from form to form, go hand in hand. It is a woman who personifies for Krasauskas such concepts as Beauty, Life and Eternity.
Awards and titles of the artist
For the cycle "Eternally Alive" the artist Stasis Krasauskas received in 1976 the USSR State Prize.
In addition, his paintings were repeatedly noted as the best, the artist was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor, the Bronze Medal in Leipzig as an illustrator of the book "The Man" by Eduardas Mezhelaitis.
Stasis Krasauskas receives the title of Honored Artist of the Lithuanian SSR (1968) and People's Artist of Lithuania (1977).
Features of work
One of the main features of the artist's work is conciseness. From all possible means of the image he selects the line. Of all the color variety - the monochrome of white and black. And creates engravings, full of philosophical meaning, like DĂĽrer, but without its multi-figured complexity, symbolism and sophistication. Everything is simple with him.
In terms of simplicity and clarity, the engravings by the master are closest to the traditions of the Lithuanian folk culture: wooden carvings and sculptures. They also gave expression, expressiveness and completeness to each line.
The engravings of the master are so similar to the drawings of antique amphoras and other dishes, where monochromy emphasizes the grace of the line or contour of the picture. As in ancient amphorae, the artist depicts the world he knows in his own simple language. Its lines are sometimes smooth and leisurely tender, sometimes crumpled and harsh, like those of expressionists (Kolvits et al., “Rush”), when they reflect the harshness of the world and war. Peace and bliss in his cycles are suddenly replaced by the severity and acuteness of the suddenly appeared wars, conflicts, human dramas.
By style, most of the master’s works can be attributed to romanticism. Being himself, according to friends, romantic, he remains true to himself in his works, poetizes the surrounding reality, searches for and finds heroes and glorifies their exploits. Traveling was an integral part of the artist’s life. The result of the impressions of his creative business trips was the line of his prints, executed in 1966, where the Far East appears businesslike and diverse.
When you look at the paintings of Stasis Krasauskas, you involuntarily recall the work of Pablo Picasso, too much was taken from the master of painting, who did not tire of experimenting with color and form all his life. But Picasso gave such a boost of energy with each of his new work that virtually none of his contemporaries could escape his influence. Modigliani destroyed his work if he noticed in them the influence of Picasso. It is quite clear that the combination of a flat-linear system of drawing and a sculptural-volumetric system traditional for the European culture at Krasauskas and Pablo Picasso are similar.
Since the 50s, especially in the drawing, Stasis Krasauskas has been showing his special style more and more. Illustration occupies an increasingly important place in the life of the artist, allows you to embody and rethink poetic lines in visible images. At the same time, the artist uses the traditions of fine art from ancient Egypt to the Renaissance, but also more clearly develops his own style. Especially close to him are the works of the fusion of nature and man, their continuity. Engraving of Stasis Krasauskas fills with this feeling of involvement in the extraordinary and the beautiful, for the existence of which people have to pay, sometimes at the cost of their own lives.
last years of life
The artist was always in the thick of new creative ideas and ideas, he was always full of energy and active. Like a real romantic, he tried all his life to understand the causes of human error, the essence and causes of cruelty. His life was like a flash, short and bright (he died at 47 years old). Overcoming suffering in the name of love, in the name of the happiness of all mankind is the main line of the artist's work. S. A. Krasauskas died of laryngeal cancer on February 10, 1977 in Moscow at the P. A. Herzen Cancer Institute. He was buried at the Antaklnis Cemetery in Vilnius. The tombstone of the artist is made in the form of linocut "Youth".