Art

Summary

Reflections on Japanese Color Ink Painting Traditions in Lithuanian Watercolors of Vida Norkute

The article discusses the individual artistic style, asymmetrical composition, colorist system, and spontaneous watercolor casting technique of Vida Norkutė (1949–2021). She was influenced by the most prominent Japanese artists of the last four decades. The article focuses on the origins of Norkute‘s paintings. Hence, it investigates the influence of her teachers, the great watercolor masters Česlovas Kontrimas and Algirdas Lukštas, and focuses on the most characteristic genres and forms of artistic expression inherited from the Japanese art tradition. It also examines other important factors that determined the uniqueness of her painting style and its relationship with the colors and forms of the surrounding natural world. Particular attention is paid to her affection for the poetics of Čiurlionis and the genres of landscape with flowers and birds that enhance the beauty of nature cultivated in the Japanese art tradition. The article evaluates Norkute as one of the most prominent representatives of the Lithuanian spontaneous watercolor tradition.