The Art of Pranas Gailius

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Copyright © 1963 Lithuanian Students Association, Inc. Vol. 9, No.3 - 1963 Editor of this issue: Thomas Remeikis

The art of PRANAS

The artist PRANAS (his complete name is Pranas Gailius) was born in Lithuania in 1928; his birthplace was a small town and his childhood was spent dose to nature. These early experiences are reflected in his later creative work, where visual elements of nature are presented with deep inner sensitivity. His peaceful childhood was followed by an adolescence full of the turmoil of the Second World War. In 1946 he came to Strasbourg and became interested in fine arts, the phase where, he felt, his creativity could find the most natural outlet for expression. Since 1950 Pranas has been living in Paris where he was a student of Fernand Lėger and also studied lithography at the Ėcole National des Beaux Arts. Pranas' methods of work are versatile. He is equally strong in oil painting, water colors, and graphics where his finesse, love for detail and composition is outstanding. Pranas matured artistically in Paris and was strongly affected by the prevalent artistic and philosophical tendencies. At present he considers himself a member of the new movement "la nouvelle Figuration."

Pranas is a prolific painter and has had an impressive number of exhibits in France, Germany, and the United States. His paintings have been exhibited at the Galerie du Haut-Pave (1955), Galerie La Voute (Marcel-Lenoir) 1957, Galerie Bellechasse (1958, 1959 and I960), Galerie Le Soleil dans la Tėte (1962), and Galerie Dumay 1963), all in Paris. Prints were exhibited at the Salon des Illustrateurs du Liyre 1963, Galerie La Nouvelle Gravure (1963) and Bibliotheque Nationale, Cabinet des Estampes "Gravure contemporaine" (1963) in Paris; also at the Litauische Graphik (1963) in Freiburg. His watercolors have been exhibited at the Galerie Le Soleil dans la Tėte (1959) in Paris; at an exhibition sponsored by the Institut fuer Auslandbeziehungen and shown in Stuttgart, Muenich, Berlin, Erlangen, Bielefeld, Kircheim-Bad Oeyhausen (1960-1061) in Germany; and at the Galerie Dumay 1962 in Paris. Recently, in November of 1963, he had his first exhibit (oils, prints, and watercolors) in the United States, at the Čiurlionis Art Gallery in Chicago. The numerous showings of Pranas' works were favorably greeted by art critics, who have had much to say about his work.

A final judgment about his work is not possible today; Pranas is well on his way in his creative achievements, but he is still young in years. He is still seeking for answers to various phases in the plastic arts, for new ways of creative expression.