Stasys Eidrigevičius

Stasys Eidrigevičius (born in 1949 in Mediniškiai, Lithuania) is a painter and graphic artist.

Eidrigevičius graduated from the College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kaunas in 1968. In 1973, he obtained a diploma from Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts. Since 1980 he has lived in Poland. Eidrigevičius is active in many artistic fields, such as: oil painting, book-plate, book illustration, studio graphics, and photography. He has been interested in posters since 1984.

September 2, 1991 The Czechoslovak Post, in connection with the Bratislava illustrations for children in the biennial, issued a postage stamp with a replica of the painting “Pinocchio” by Stasys Eidrigevičius.

Created unique genres of art – masks and so-called grief (smukki). The main motifs of creation are human loneliness, alienation, sadness, contemplation. The artistic expression is characterized by elements of grotesque, paradox, absurdity, and the motives of reality are given metaphysical. Bright memories of the homeland, impressions of childhood, ethnographic realities of Lithuanian countryside. Gains about 40 international awards. 2008 St. Eidrigevicius was decorated with the Polish Star Alder next to the Gdansk Philharmonic: he was asked to leave a metal hand embossed there. The Otaru city of Japan has its name in the city of Hiroko Mori & Stasys Museum. Jacques Debs created a feature film about the artist.

Günter Grass points out one very impprtant problem in the world of contemporary art. He says that the secondary overshadows the original. He states that the whole system of art promotion in the modern world implicates disregard for creative, original works, which are replaced by the faceless pulp of art criticism, group ‘displays, catalogues and other works in which the original creation is manipulated and converted into a mere pale reflection of its form. One might ask if creative artists try to defend themselves against this kind of belittlement. Speaking from my own experience. I would say that they seem to use two different methods of defense. They either “go underground,” i.e. withdraw and completely ignore official artistic life. Or else they accelerate their development, changing their personalities, styles and media so that the critics cannot keepy up with them or write anything coherent. It seems to me that Stasys Eidrigevicius has chosen the latter as a way of dealing with the outside world. He has done so probably because he has already experienced the “underground” phase in his life. He lived unnoticed for many years, somewhere on the ‘peripheries of artistic life (both literally and metaphysically speaking). So, when he was discovered and became known to the art world, he chose the other system of defense in order to protect his integrity and individuality. During the last few years, the artist has covered a tot of ground. He has undergone successful transformations from book illustrator to miniature painter (gouache) to sculptor (works in wood were displayed in 1992 at Warsaw Studio Gallery and his recent design for a metal sculpture.

Major awards: Gold Plaque for children’s book illustration at Biennial of Book Art in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia (1979, 1981, 1989), Grand Prix (1991); Gold Medal at International Biennial of Exlibris in Malbork (1980); Honorary Mention at Exhibition of Small Graphic Forms in Łódź, Poland (1979); Grand Prix for book illustration in Barcelona, Spain (1986); Grand Prix at International Biennial of Posters in Lahti, Finland (1989); 3rd Prize at International Biennial of Posters in Warsaw (1990), Gold Medal, Toyama, Japan (1994), 1st Prize at Biennial of Polish Poster, Katowice (1999), National Award in Arts, Lithuania (2001).