Gypsies

P. Domšaitis started studying fine art at a time when, alongside Impressionism in Germany, a new art wave was rising – Expressionism. Graduating from the Königsberg Academy of Art in 1910, P. Domšaitis became an apprentice in the Berlin studio of the East Prussian painter Lovis Corinth. A meeting with one of the initiators of Expressionism, Edvard Munch, in Oslo in 1914, also had a lasting effect. The Impressionist stylistics in P. Domšaitis’ paintings were replaced by the expressionism that the new art style was known for. His colours became darker, richer, and painted large planes, streamlining heavy, generalized and stylized figures. This particular painting reflects the changes in the artist’s painting in 1920–1930. The nomadic gypsy theme is also related to his “Flight to Egypt” compositions that appeared during World War I, as well as with the impressions garnered from the war-time surroundings.