Sėdinčios Moters Aktas 

Vytautas Kairiukstis created this painting of a seated nude woman in Lithuania, though its precise date is unknown. Kairiukstis was a Lithuanian avant-garde artist, and this work reflects some of the modernist trends that were circulating in Europe during the first half of the 20th century. In particular, we might think of German Expressionism or the works of artists associated with the Die Brücke group, who sought to portray their subjects with raw emotion and directness. Here, Kairiukstis’s subject stares intently at the viewer. She is painted with a kind of unflinching objectivity, which, in the cultural context of interwar Lithuania, might be seen as challenging conventional representations of the female nude. Consider that Lithuania was undergoing major social and political changes at this time, including a growing women's rights movement. To understand the painting more fully, we might research the artist's biography, the reception of modern art in Lithuania, and the history of gender relations in the country. This will offer deeper insights into the place of this artwork within the cultural history of its time.