At Lithuanian Flea Market. No. 179, Mažeikiai.

One of the most distinguished Macijaukas series of photographs “At Lithuanian Flea Markets” are created as a commentary of daily village life. The author captured snippets of daily life without editing them. It is his ability to notice the poignant moments of such life that give these photographs their artistic influence.
The well known “decisive moments” within the photography genre of the early 20th century was made famous by the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. His own belief of a superb photograph was that a photographer needed not only the instinct to be at “the right place at the right time” but at the same time be able to capture an expressive moment of reality. After the second World War, Henri established the “Magnum Photos” agency in France. According to a film and photography critic Skirmantas Valiulis, the works of agency’s members and Henri himself were hugely influential to the “Lithuanian Photography School” as well.
Macijauskas recalls that to utilize the ‘instinctual moment” while shooting the village flea markets, he had to develop infinite perseverance – he would often had to be willing to “jump into a moving wagon” or “fall under the udders of a cow…” at any given moment. It is just such a moment that is captured in #179- Mažeikiai. The subject’s sideways glance and easy manner, the true details of the surrounding flea market all help to reinforce the naturalness of the photograph. Macijauskas was always striving to record the most expressive of the market details. To this end he utilized not only the wide angle lens, but also his own low body positioning (almost from the ground level) to achieve an exaggerated view. By being present just at the right moment, he was able to capture the moment in the classical reporting form. His work allows us to view these moments up close and personal as well as to view the daily reality from an artistic perspective.