The Battle of Rudau

Having taken up teaching, Ušinskas trained a new generation of artists in monumental art and scenography. One of his most talented students, Kazys Varnelis (1917–2010), also turned to the history of art for inspiration in his early work in the 1930s. For example, his The Battle of Rudau is a stylised classic battle scene. The works by Ušinskas and Varnelis illustrate another aspect of Lithuanian art, where emotionality and sensitivity to nature give way to a logical decorativeness that is associated more often with urban than rural culture.

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Kazys Varnelis is best known as a proponent of Optical Art. Living in the United States, he developed an interest in optical experiments; prior to that, he painted primarily classic figurative compositions. Varnelis created his graduation diploma work The Battle of Rudau in 1941 as a student at the Kaunas Art School, which showcased his professionalism and his ability to produce complex canvases in the historical and battle genres. A close look at The Battle of Rudau reveals that the muscular, sun-tanned faces of the soldiers do not resemble either Lithuanians or their German opponents, but instead evoke associations with the indigenous peoples of South or North America. This connection is not accidental: the artist drew his inspiration from the work of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, who was very popular during the interwar period (cf. Vidas Poškus, ‘Jaunojo Varnelio užmojai’ [The Ambitions of the Young Varnelis], 7 meno dienos, 2013, No 28). The influence of Meštrović’s 1928 monument Indians stands out in Varnelis’ work: the two expressive equestrian figures, The Bowman and The Spearman, are positioned on either side of the entrance to Grant Park in Chicago. The Battle of Rudau and Indians are connected by the pronounced musculature of the horsemen and their horses, the stylised waves of the warriors’ hairstyles and the horses’ manes, and a strong and fierce energy.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: "1918-1945 / Kaunas-Vilnius", 27 August 2020 – 21 August 2021, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė; ‘The Collectible Collector. Artworks of Kazys Varnelis from private collections in Lithuania', 17 May 2023 – 29 October 2023, Kazys Varnelis House-Museum, Vilnius (curator Gabrielė Paškevičiūtė).

Having taken up teaching, Ušinskas trained a new generation of artists in monumental art and scenography. One of his most talented students, Kazys Varnelis (1917–2010), also turned to the history of art for inspiration in his early work in the 1930s. For example, his The Battle of Rudau is a stylised classic battle scene. The works by Ušinskas and Varnelis illustrate another aspect of Lithuanian art, where emotionality and sensitivity to nature give way to a logical decorativeness that is associated more often with urban than rural culture.

Text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė

Kazys Varnelis is best known as a proponent of Optical Art. Living in the United States, he developed an interest in optical experiments; prior to that, he painted primarily classic figurative compositions. Varnelis created his graduation diploma work The Battle of Rudau in 1941 as a student at the Kaunas Art School, which showcased his professionalism and his ability to produce complex canvases in the historical and battle genres. A close look at The Battle of Rudau reveals that the muscular, sun-tanned faces of the soldiers do not resemble either Lithuanians or their German opponents, but instead evoke associations with the indigenous peoples of South or North America. This connection is not accidental: the artist drew his inspiration from the work of the Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, who was very popular during the interwar period (cf. Vidas Poškus, ‘Jaunojo Varnelio užmojai’ [The Ambitions of the Young Varnelis], 7 meno dienos, 2013, No 28). The influence of Meštrović’s 1928 monument Indians stands out in Varnelis’ work: the two expressive equestrian figures, The Bowman and The Spearman, are positioned on either side of the entrance to Grant Park in Chicago. The Battle of Rudau and Indians are connected by the pronounced musculature of the horsemen and their horses, the stylised waves of the warriors’ hairstyles and the horses’ manes, and a strong and fierce energy.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album KAUNAS–VILNIUS / 1918–1945 (2021). Compilers and text authors Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: "1918-1945 / Kaunas-Vilnius", 27 August 2020 – 21 August 2021, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė; ‘The Collectible Collector. Artworks of Kazys Varnelis from private collections in Lithuania', 17 May 2023 – 29 October 2023, Kazys Varnelis House-Museum, Vilnius (curator Gabrielė Paškevičiūtė).