The print My Little Lakes is one of three prints that the Lithuanian artist donated to the Museum at the exhibition Peace, Humanity and Friendship among Nations. It reflects original approaches to the interpretation of the rich world of motifs in Lithuanian folk heritage, since Skirutýtė Aldona engaged with traditional motifs in such a way they seem, with their stylized drawing and ornamental patterns, like folk art. The two-tone linocut My Little Lakes depicts a phantastic landscape, while the central place in the composition is occupied by an image of a huge tree in which storks are nesting. The tree is composed of a network of organically shaped surfaces, which differ from each other in structure and line density; the trunk, treetop and individual branches represent an integral whole, separated from the surroundings with a unified line. The landscape around the tree is covered in woods, its shapes reflected in the blue of the many lakes scattered across the whole surface of the print. The tree’s life power dominates above the peaceful and passive landscape, and its mighty crown provides shelter for the birth of new life. This further underscores the meaning of a tree as the universal symbol of life, representing the metaphorical image of life’s cyclical character, its constant renewal and rebirth.

Text: Katarina Hergold Germ