Gražina Vitartaitė, a distinguished Lithuanian artist, grounds her creative practice in spontaneity and pure emotion. “When I paint, I simply feel—it’s not a conscious process. I don’t overthink what should be combined, as the colors and tones emerge naturally. When inspiration strikes and I find focus, I am not searching for particular motifs; instead, I am captivated by the idea and the allure of the present moment. I attempt to seize that feeling. In both art and life, there can be no standstill,” the artist shares about her work. Through this intuitive method, she is able to authentically and immediately capture the world around her.
Vitartaitė is most acclaimed for her landscape paintings, which reflect the gentle, tranquil beauty characteristic of the Lithuanian countryside. Frequently, the coastline and her hometown of Krekenava serve as her principal sources of inspiration—settings that evoke feelings of liberation and escape. Her paintings are marked by expressive brushwork and a profound emotional connection to the landscapes she portrays, channeling nature’s poetry and serenity. She upholds the value of harmony between humanity and the natural world, inviting viewers to a visual meditation and encouraging them to cultivate their own personal engagement with nature through her art.
Between 1980 and 1989, Gražina Vitartaitė led the Department of Painting at the State Art Institute, which is today the Academy of Fine Arts, where she held the position of associate professor. She has presented upwards of 70 solo exhibitions both within Lithuania and abroad. Her artworks are part of significant Lithuanian museum collections, including the Lithuanian Art Museum (LDM) and the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum (NČDM), and can also be found in numerous public institutions and private collections across Lithuania, the United States, and various European countries. Vitartaitė has also released several painting albums, such as "Towards Inner Freedom" (2007), "The Curonian Spit" (2010), "Landscape Metamorphosis" (2015), and a dedicated volume on Krekenava Regional Park.
The artist’s journey and creative achievements have been explored in the documentary film "Towards Inner Freedom" (2013), directed by A. Tarvydas, as well as in the television feature "Portraits of Artists" (2017), produced by LRT and directed by V. Beconienė. These projects offer a deeper understanding of Vitartaitė’s artistic philosophy and her enduring influence on Lithuanian visual art.
About this artwork+
The painting titled "Baltic Breath" by Gražina Vitartaitė features an organic blend of colors and forms that evoke the sensations of a coastal landscape. The top part shows a sky dominated by soft blues and gentle strokes of white, suggesting a light breeze over the sea. Below the sky, the sea itself is depicted in varying shades of blue with hints of green, capturing the dynamic essence of water. Most striking and prominent is the chaotic and lively mass of seaweed and foliage in the foreground, represented with vibrant greens, dark shades, and specks of color that could indicate flowers, debris, or marine life caught up in the vegetation. The interplay of textures and colors creates an impression of natural movement and the ever-changing life at the edge of the sea. White and cream lines swirl through the composition, perhaps depicting foam, sand, or the salty air swirling above the sea, enhancing the feeling of a deep inhale of fresh, briny ocean air. The result is a nuanced interplay of the natural elements that characterize the Baltic seascape.
