Magic of Beauty in Paintings By Indra Grusaite
The art by Indra Grusaite is recognizable for having both classical and modern features. Each artwork reflects the atmosphere of luxury, aristocracy and refined theatricality. Highly realistic canvases reveal the highest level of painting skills and a great feeling of aesthetics. Compositions are precisely organized, considering the smallest components, such as characters, costumes, and background.
In spite of being a contemporary painter, she finds the greatest inspiration in ancient cultural heritage, past epochs and old master’s works rather than in present-day realities. Artworks are mostly influenced by Mannerism, Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque. As well as many classics, she prefers traditional genres, such as portraits, landscapes, still-lifes, and uses conservative painting technique. Even though the artist has a classical approach to art, artworks are inevitably incorporated into the modern world. Narratives and characters of the paintings are full of allegories, paradoxes, symbols, and mystical elements. This way, paintings expose the confrontation of reality and fiction. Figurative artworks mostly depict women, anthropomorphized animals or mythological figures (dragons, angels, chimeras) that are surrounded by realistic Gothic sceneries.
The artworks by Grusaite could be paralleled to a legendary novel “Alice in Wonderland”, written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898). The fairy tale portrays a fantasy world, populated by strange anthropomorphic creatures. It also plays with the logic that makes the story so popular among adults. The artworks by Grusaite are like visual fairy tales, enhanced with a bunch of intellectual meanings, metaphors, and symbols that are ready to be solved by a curious spectator.
One of the most notable characteristics of Grusaite’s art, without a doubt, is the impression of luxury. Paintings are full of aesthetically arranged scenes with a great variety of theatrical props, ancient costumes or antique objects as well as references to different architectural styles.
With each piece of art, Grusaite seeks to spread beauty. She often quotes an Italian polymath of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci, who once said that painter‘s soul has divine nature and is able to present various worlds. Famous Lithuanian artist embodies this concept by creating worlds, where fantasy, myths, and reality are closely related and almost inseparable.
