Kompozicija. Pažaislis 1921

Vytautas Kairiukstis made this pastel drawing, Kompozicija. Pažaislis, with chalky lines in warm browns and cool blues. It looks like he's figuring out the architecture of the place, maybe deciding how to make a painting later. See how the strokes aren't trying to hide? The texture of the paper peeks through, like the drawing is breathing. Those brown lines remind me of digging in the earth, while the blues float like the sky on a summer day. Look at that curved shape down there, is that a dome? It feels solid but also kind of weightless, like the whole building could lift off. This drawing reminds me of Cezanne’s watercolors, how he used color and shape to build up a whole world. Art's all about seeing, and Kairiukstis here? He's showing us how to look, how to feel our way through a place.