Baptism

As we look at Leonardas Gutauskas' painting Baptism we can immediately feel a connection with Christian iconography: a long-haired bearded figure stands in a pool of water as a second figure pours water on his head, while a white dove descends from the sky. This is a narrative from the Gospels, when St. John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ in the form of a white dove. Christ's baptism, first depicted in the third century AD in Roman catacombs, has remained a popular theme throughout the ages. We can encounter it today in the works of various artists, even after two thousand years. What is the significance for us of Leonardas Gutauskas' interpretation of this theme?
Paintings with time or space
The artist's connection with Christian iconography formed in his childhood during village church feasts. Holding onto his grandmother's skirt he would walk the stations of the cross, observing religious paintings and how they were received by the faithful. He is convinced that "something that happened two thousand years ago still holds sway today." The artist not only eschews details in his paintings, his works are also lacking in space and time. We could not, after all, tell where this scene is exactly taking place or even what is being precisely portrayed.
What is Gutauskas concerned with?
The leaning tree in the background could be an olive tree or a simple village apple tree. The figure of St. John the Baptist could be reminiscent of an image of a deceased grandmother. Gutauskas freezes time and creates a conditional space in order to say: look, this is happening now. Vertical lines rise upward, and the action in the painting is lit by a light of unclear origin shining from deep within the background. The painting does not limit itself to a religious narrative. Art critic Alfonsas Andriuškevičius describes the artist's work as "a constant concern for man's situation in the face of eternity." His works – meditative, free from conflict with their environment and refraining from provocation – are reminiscent of medieval art in their symbolic stasis and atmosphere.
A generalized, conditional and expressionist presentation of reality is typical of all of Gutauskas' body of work. We can see the source for this in the paintings of Antanas Gudaitis, a tradition continued by Gutauskas' beloved teacher Augustinas Savickas. Leonardas Gutauskas stands out in the context of Lithuanian art with the continuity and solemnity of his chosen themes and the sacred atmosphere conveyed in his paintings.