Christmas Madonna

The small postcard-size print Christmas Madonna was probably meant as a tasteful Christmas card. Vytautas Ignas’ graphic work, rooted in the stylistic traditions of Lithuanian folk art, was especially appreciated by the Lithuanian diaspora. His prints often feature motifs such as daisies, and stylised tulips and lilies, decoration commonly found on the heads of distaffs, as well as the angels and saints that are reminiscent of the work of religious carvers. The art historian Nijolė Tumėnienė highlighted the artist’s sense of decorativeness and the sincere and primitive charm of his imagery. As she notes, ‘Looking up close, one can enjoy the artist’s skill, read the symbolic language of Baltic culture, and looking from afar, admire the unified rhythm of the carving, which can also be perceived as a complex ornament, often radiating a serene and solemn mood’ (Nijolė Tumėnienė et al., Vytautas Ignas, Vilnius: Lithuanian Museum of Art, 2001, p. 20).

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė

The small postcard-size print Christmas Madonna was probably meant as a tasteful Christmas card. Vytautas Ignas’ graphic work, rooted in the stylistic traditions of Lithuanian folk art, was especially appreciated by the Lithuanian diaspora. His prints often feature motifs such as daisies, and stylised tulips and lilies, decoration commonly found on the heads of distaffs, as well as the angels and saints that are reminiscent of the work of religious carvers. The art historian Nijolė Tumėnienė highlighted the artist’s sense of decorativeness and the sincere and primitive charm of his imagery. As she notes, ‘Looking up close, one can enjoy the artist’s skill, read the symbolic language of Baltic culture, and looking from afar, admire the unified rhythm of the carving, which can also be perceived as a complex ornament, often radiating a serene and solemn mood’ (Nijolė Tumėnienė et al., Vytautas Ignas, Vilnius: Lithuanian Museum of Art, 2001, p. 20).

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė