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The article shows how the perception and representation of the art of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911) was changing in the perspective of commemorations of his anniversaries. Already in the prewar period, two views of Čiurlionis were formed in Lithuania. Some people thought that he channelled the nation's spirit, while others considered him a symbolist and a cosmopolitan. In Stalin's era, the artist was condemned as a formalist. Later, the Soviet authorities cunningly used his creative heritage for propaganda purposes, and used his example to demonstrate their concern for national culture. Having created good conditions for exhibiting the artist's works by funding the construction of an annex of the Čiurlionis Gallery at the Kaunas Museum (1965-1969), the Soviet authorities appropriated the representation of this artist, his image formation, and the organising of exhibitions of his works. The opinion of the museum's employees about the protection of the paintings was disregarded. In 1975, an exhibition dedicated to Čiurlionis's centenary was held in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. 60 paintings were displayed, and the exhibition attracted circa 240 thousand visitors. It was accompanied by commemorative events and scientific conferences in Moscow and Vilnius. The speakers were carefully selected in Moscow, and the presentations were censored and redacted. In general, the exhibition in the Tretyakov Gallery had a positive effect. It was visited by foreign diplomats based in Moscow and tourists, and thus, information about the Lithuanian symbolist hardly known in the West spread more widely. Popularised and actualised, Čiurlionis's art made an impact on the socio-cultural medium of Soviet Lithuania: it raised Lithuanian self-esteem, and helped to build a new layer of Lithuanian intellectuals who were hostile to the regime. Once again, the ideas of Čiurlionis's painting became an important part of Lithuanian historical self-consciousness. However, increasing overtourism, annual commemorations, artists' and poets' dedications to Čiurlionis, numerous superficial writings in the popular press, as well as the scale of cultural industry had some features of a new cult, which was cultural rather than religious. In the Soviet period, Čiurlionis was presented to society as a genius artist and a herald of the bright future, while the philosophical basis of his work and such aspects as mysticism or creating a new artistic language were overlooked. The one-sidedness of analysis and research, and the aim to assess his work exclusively from the Marxist position did not allow placing this artist in an argumentative normative narrative of art history, which became a serious obstacle for his international fame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Culture & Society: Journal of Social Research / Kultūra ir Visuomenė: Socialinių Tyrimų Žurnalas is the property of Vytautas Magnus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The text explores the creative work of one of the most famous Lithuanian designers, Rasa Baradinskienė, and its presentation. The representative identity of Baradinskienė's creative work is researched using complex, contextual, comparative and artistic analysis. The aim of the study is to pinpoint the connections of uniqueness of her work, creative name and the attributes of presenting her work. Baradinskienė's creative work came to prominence during a complicated time for Lithuanian design. The search for a unique creative identity, the publicity of design in Lithuania and aspects of presenting a newly restored independent Lithuanian state abroad became especially important. Rasa Baradinskienė, a freelance designer, graduated from Kaunas Applied Arts School with speciality in textile and embroidery (1985-1987). From 1988-1993 she studied at the Design department of Vilnius Academy of Arts. She created the RASA deSIGN brand in 2002. This creative brand was contrived when Rasa started participating in international exhibitions and the need for distinctive and concise presentation arose. Four areas of work are noted in the designer's biography: projects of furniture and lights fixtures, accessories projects, and graphics in the interior and design concepts. The outstanding features of Baradinskienė's design are: transformation (construction of objects), harmonious contrast (creative expression), feelings (emotional influence) and signs (visual perception). The design motive allows the artist to connect emotionally to the viewer of the object. It acquires a symbolic quality in Barandinskienė's work and becomes the sign spanning all areas of her work. The *Sign* is confirmed by the main anthropomorphic motives of her works - smiley face, hand and doll. Their function is utilitarian and the aesthetics are based on a positive emotional response. In this way the designer creates and develops the idea of emotive design. One of the segments of presentation of creative work and brand identity is Rasa Baradinskienė's creative output the exhibitions which have been especially numerous. She has participated in more than 50 exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad and has organised various exhibitions herself. The design objects presented at the shows are often created for exhibitions and design events and not commissioned by manufacturers. This way the possibilities for individual artistic expression were opened and the creative brand strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Menotyra is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Menotyra is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Menotyra is the property of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Publishers and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the paintings by contemporary Lithuanian artists Jonas Gasiunas and Eglė Ridikaitė new strategies of depiction can be observed. Crisis of depiction is typical for the work of these artists and reflects an even wider change in the visual depiction of Western painting. The changes in the contemporary Western painting are analysed using Jacques Lacan's psychoanalysis method, which sets clear boundaries of depiction. This theory had never been used to analyse Lithuanian painting before. In this article paintings by Jonas Gasiunas and Egle Ridikaite are analysed using Jacques Lacan's psychoanalysis method. For both artists depiction of reality is important, they examine a certain existing mismatch between reality and language of painting. In their paintings the reality is reflected as deficient and lacking. The image presented is barren of its primary meaning and lacking substance, the painting's depictive function useless. This is depiction without subject, which conforms to Lacan's term Imaginary. In these paintings the subject disappears and disperses, the communication becomes deprived of individuality and the image, passed through the personal memory, loses its sharpness. Ephemeral visuals are strengthened by incorporating cinematographic image structures into paintings. Ephemeral existence is characteristic to the subject of psychoanalysis (reality), it exists only when described by language, which only marks the subject's disparity with itself. To open a gap between real object and paintings possibilities to depict it, the metaphoric and metonymic distortion of meaning is used. Also, the reality is depicted indirectly through dreams; the fragments of reality and dream or fantasy are combined in the paintings. The principles of reptition and coincidence, important in the psychoanalysis, are also used. The successful usage of Lacan's theory shows that analysis of contemporary Lithuanian painting could be expanded to incorporate new points of view. Jacques Lacan's and other research theories could expand the possibilities of the psychoanalysis method, and a wider range of contemporary art could be analysed using the psychoanalysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Man & the Word / Zmogus ir zodis is the property of Vytautas Magnus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)