On Bravery

Before us is Ričardas Bartkevičius' 2008 painting On Bravery. We see a toy car, painted in a childish style, "ramming" several glass bottles. Knowing that the artist always attempts to use routine objects to convey a more profound meaning, we should take a closer look at this painting as well.
What could the toy car careening toward the bottles be symbolizing? Perhaps this energetic action illustrates that our bravest deeds are, after all, often humorous and naive? Perhaps it is more than just a reference to human relationships, but also a depiction of the absurdity of political games and military maneuvers?
Upon consideration of the title On Bravery it becomes clear that the artist, having compared rather simple objects, has something to say about human and existential matters as well. Bartkevičius' paintings very often comment on the banal and routine nature of our existence. His works always shine with combinations of open and bold colors, conveying life and power to the painter's stories.
Although Bartkevičius' painting often comes close to abstraction, it is always related to images from the tangible world. He says: I like good, abstract painting, and I am inspired by it, but it is always better for me to express my thought using a recognizable thing or object. In my paintings they are important vessels for conveying meaning, speaking about human experiences, conflicts, love, coexistence, hatred, friendship and many other things, says the painter.
Thus the intellect and rational thinking and the story hiding inside the work are just as important to the artist as the physical expression of emotional impulses and the study of paint and brushstroke characteristics. According to the artist, the work of the great masters is very important to him; for example, the irony, sarcasm and fitting symbolic language of Pieter Bruegel.
Bartkevičius entered the Lithuanian painting scene in the 1980s, together with other representatives of the expressionist style, including Algis Skačkauskas, Gintas Palemonas Janonis, Audronė Petrašiūnaitė, and Vygantas Paukštė. The works of these artists are united by their emotional, irrational and impulsive expressiveness.