Impression of a Landscape

The aesthetic orientations of Lithuanian artists who arrived in the United States after the war varied. The older generation remained largely faithful to Expressionism, a style that, in the diaspora, became closely associated with the Lithuanian character and the national identity. In contrast, younger artists were more attuned to the innovations emerging from the American art scene. Albertas Veščiūnas (1921–1976) studied graphic art at the Art Students League of New York between 1951 and 1953 under the guidance of the renowned American artist and teacher Will Barnet. The flourishing Abstract Expressionism movement of the 1950s sparked Veščiūnas’ interest in abstraction. But despite his efforts, he struggled to gain recognition in the highly competitive and fastpaced American art world. He was often overshadowed by his contemporaries: ‘I looked at other people’s works, and that hit me even harder. Things I’m still struggling to achieve with great effort were laid out before me as polished, finished pieces [...] It’s clear to me that I’ll never surprise anyone here with some wild moves, no matter how hard I try to turn the tables. Others are simply miles ahead when it comes to mastering those moves’ (Albertas Veščiūnas, ed. Vaidutė Ščiglienė, Vilnius: Vilnius Academy of Art Publishers, 2006, p. 127). After his sudden death in 1976, many of Veščiūnas’ works were discarded and lost, taken from his home to New York landfills. Only a small number of paintings, created at Villefranche-sur-Mer in the south of France, have survived. With their vibrating surfaces and undulating brushstrokes, these works evoke the landscapes painted by Vincent van Gogh in the same region, and affirm Veščiūnas’ deep connection with the European tradition of painting.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE WORLD OF LANDSCAPES II (2013). Compiler and author Nijolė Tumėnienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: "Free and Unfree. Lithuanian Art between 1945 and 1990", 9 September 2021 – 30 April 2022, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.

The aesthetic orientations of Lithuanian artists who arrived in the United States after the war varied. The older generation remained largely faithful to Expressionism, a style that, in the diaspora, became closely associated with the Lithuanian character and the national identity. In contrast, younger artists were more attuned to the innovations emerging from the American art scene. Albertas Veščiūnas (1921–1976) studied graphic art at the Art Students League of New York between 1951 and 1953 under the guidance of the renowned American artist and teacher Will Barnet. The flourishing Abstract Expressionism movement of the 1950s sparked Veščiūnas’ interest in abstraction. But despite his efforts, he struggled to gain recognition in the highly competitive and fastpaced American art world. He was often overshadowed by his contemporaries: ‘I looked at other people’s works, and that hit me even harder. Things I’m still struggling to achieve with great effort were laid out before me as polished, finished pieces [...] It’s clear to me that I’ll never surprise anyone here with some wild moves, no matter how hard I try to turn the tables. Others are simply miles ahead when it comes to mastering those moves’ (Albertas Veščiūnas, ed. Vaidutė Ščiglienė, Vilnius: Vilnius Academy of Art Publishers, 2006, p. 127). After his sudden death in 1976, many of Veščiūnas’ works were discarded and lost, taken from his home to New York landfills. Only a small number of paintings, created at Villefranche-sur-Mer in the south of France, have survived. With their vibrating surfaces and undulating brushstrokes, these works evoke the landscapes painted by Vincent van Gogh in the same region, and affirm Veščiūnas’ deep connection with the European tradition of painting.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE WORLD OF LANDSCAPES II (2013). Compiler and author Nijolė Tumėnienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė
Expositions: "Free and Unfree. Lithuanian Art between 1945 and 1990", 9 September 2021 – 30 April 2022, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.