Goldmines in Johannesburg

For P. Domšaitis who grew up in a rural environment, nature was always a strong source of inspiration, while the landscape was one of his favourite genres. The painter never created only beautiful natural scenery, which is why a typically sun-filld African landscape never made it into his collection of works. In his late landscapes,  P. Domšaitis portrayed intermitent moments, such as the breaking dawn, sunset, or a storm brewing. Landscapes were a means by which he could express man’s existence, and symbolically speak of the universality of being. The panoramic views are sometimes reminiscent of the expanses and rolling hills of Lithuania. In his last decade of creative output, P. Domšaitis’ artistic demeanour took on surprising force, while the structure of his landscapes embraced simple clarity based on the three-plane principle, locating the most important motifs in the central picture plane. In this composition, the heavy stylized forms develop into an almost geometrical structure. In the dark, heavy pallette, inlays of pure white, red and yellow ring true. An austere quiet and strength spreads from this image of Africa’s expanses.