Skaistė Verdingytė

Skaistė Verdingytė (born 17 March 1972, in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian artist known for her monumental works and distinctive style, which incorporates elements of surrealism, theater, and classical drawing traditions,.
==Biography==
Skaistė Verdingytė currently lives and works in Vilnius. Her artistic training began at the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Gymnasium, where she studied from 1983 to 1987. This prestigious school laid the foundation for her artistic approach, blending technical discipline with creative exploration,.
Alongside her artistic career, Verdingytė pursued higher education at Concordia International University Estonia, where she earned a degree in International and European Union Law between 1997 and 2001. She also studied at the Faculty of Law at the University of Helsinki as part of the Erasmus exchange program in 1999. These studies allowed her to develop structured thinking, which influenced her artistic conception and added a philosophical dimension to her work. For example, her painting Chaos (190×330 cm, acrylic on canvas, 2022) illustrates this influence through its logical arrangement and references to Plato's dialogues and Dante's Inferno. She also received education as a tailor at the Vilnius School of Automotive Mechanics and Business from 1980 to 1990, which adds a technical dimension to her creative approach.
Verdingytė furthered her artistic education by participating in the Salzburg International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in 2007, 2008, and 2009, where she took painting courses with Egyptian artist Mohamed Abla and German artist :de:Dierk Schmidt. Abla's encouragement was crucial in her decision to pursue an artistic career (1). In 2010, she also studied at the Summer Academy in Traunkirchen, Austria, under the guidance of Chinese-American artists Zhou Brothers, further enhancing her skills in monumental painting,. In 2010 and 2011, she participated in the Fayoum Winter Academy at the Fayoum Art Center, where she learned the technique of encaustic portrait painting from British artist and archaeologist John Patrick O'Carroll.
On a community level, Verdingytė has been a member of the "Slaptųjų piešėjų draugija" (Secret Society of Draftsmen) since 2006.. This group brings together creative artists who draw on the classical tradition of art. The members include teachers from the Vilnius Academy of Arts and other art schools, as well as artists specializing in mural painting. From 2016 to 2017, she worked as an art restorer at the Pac Palace (Pacų rūmai), employed by the company "Archeodomus". Since 2020, she has also been a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Association, where she is active in the mural art department. Her involvement in these organizations demonstrates her commitment to the Lithuanian art community and her contribution to enriching art in the country
==Style and influence==
Skaistė Verdingytė is an artist whose distinctive style draws its roots from the traditions of surrealism and theater, integrating dramatic and symbolic elements into her visual compositions,. She is inspired by Renaissance masters, notably Andrea Mantegna, whose influence is evident in her technical mastery and sensitivity to figurative representation. Verdingytė is also influenced by artists from the School of Ferrara|Ferrara school, such as Cosimo Tura and Carlo Crivelli, as well as Giorgio de Chirico, whose metaphysical approach to art is reflected in her own works. She is also influenced by Lithuanian artists Stasys Ušinskas and Sofija Veiverytė. Her work is characterized by complex compositions, where actions of transition and diffusion intersect across multiple planes, creating a rich and multidimensional visual experience for the viewer.
Her work incorporates contemporary reflections on hedonism and the human experience. Inspired by Jeremy Bentham's Hedonic Calculus, she explores how pleasure and suffering can be transposed into artistic compositions that question modern values. Verdingytė also engages her audience in a process of pictorial thinking, where each work becomes a space for extended reflection and visual sensations. She uses elements from her daily life, such as social interactions and personal challenges, to create works that reflect the tensions between materialism and inner satisfaction. Conversely, she engages her viewer in a process of pictorial reflection, where each work becomes a space for prolonged contemplation and extended visual sensations.
Verdingytė is a member of the "Slaptųjų piešėjų draugija" (Secret Society of Draftsmen), demonstrating her commitment to academic drawing and the continuous exploration of new artistic techniques,. She considers drawing to be the foundation of art, serving as the basis for her artistic exploration. She is inspired by the ideas of Immanuel Kant, who sees beauty as a preparation for selfless love and the sublime as an invitation to respect. Verdingytė uses drawing to express beauty and grandeur, viewing this practice as a way to explore the human condition and reflect personal and universal narratives. Her involvement in projects like "Figura Metaphisica" illustrates her approach to drawing as an essential artistic discipline, combining technique and philosophical reflection
Although Verdingytė has participated in exhibitions such as "MICRO nepatogi paroda", which highlights small-scale works, she is best known for her monumental creations,. Her compositions, such as Miesto miražas (Mirage of the City) and Vienatvės transformacijos (Transformations of Solitude), illustrate her mastery of large-scale art. She actively participates in the monumental art section of the Lithuanian Artists' Association, where she exhibits in events dedicated to this art. Notably, she presented her works at the "Forma, Spalva, Šviesa" exhibition at the Biržai Regional Museum "Sėla", and regularly participates in exhibitions organized by this section, highlighting monumental art and the conceptual challenges associated with it. The monumentality of her work is accentuated by the complexity of her compositions, with a recurring central theme of levitating nude figures suspended in time and space.
Category:Lithuanian artists
Category:1972 births
Category:Lithuanian people stubs
Category:European artist stubs
Category:Surrealist artists
Category:Living people