For Viktoras Binkis, harmony, order, and sophistication are essential components at the heart of his creative process. He himself notes that his works avoid the chaotic or spontaneous features that are often linked with contemporary art; rather, he characterizes his approach as classical. Although abstract elements may appear in his style, Binkis meticulously maintains a balance among composition, tonality, and color harmony, likening his method to Euclid’s appreciation for symmetry and the harmonious order of the spheres.
The landscape genre occupies a central place in Binkis’s body of work. He views landscapes as an “ideal laboratory” that allows him to investigate the formal potential of painting while at the same time reflecting on and enriching his personal artistic skills. In his pieces, well-known Lithuanian scenery emerges anew through bold viewpoints and inventive uses of color, resulting in images that are by turns dramatic and quietly infused with a dreamlike quality.
Born in 1957, Viktoras Binkis completed his studies in painting at the Vilnius Art Institute in 1988, laying the groundwork for a diverse artistic career that has unfolded over many years.
Since joining the Lithuanian Artists' Union in 1992, Binkis has cultivated an artistic practice that encompasses painting, photography, and sculpture. He has staged more than twenty solo exhibitions, consistently exploring themes of visual harmony, structural order, and the lyrical reinterpretation of the natural world.
About this artwork+
Viktoras Binkis’s painting, "Trakai Churchyard," captures the reflective essence of an aged churchyard. The image predominantly features textured strokes of golden yellows and earthen hues that bring out the sunlit slabs of what appears to be a stone wall surrounding the yard. This wall, robust and wavy, contrasts with the darker, lush greenery that forms a chaotic backdrop, suggesting a dense grove behind this sanctified barrier. The painting resonates with the stillness of time, set against a vivid backdrop and underlined by roofs in the far distance that peek through gaps with rustic red and browns, visually connecting the architecture with the earthy, natural world around it. Dominating the foreground, an imposing chimney-like structure rises stark against the chaotic green, its presence almost sentinel, overlooking the serene enclosure. The artwork is enveloped in a juxtaposition of civilization and nature, both co-existing in a textured dance of color and form.
