Exhibition “A Fragment or a Portrait Improvisation”

The exhibition presents works by students of the Kaunas Antanas Martinaitis School of Art, created as part of the “Creative Drawing” assignment “Portrait Improvisations”.

The task was based on a black-and-white portrait photograph divided in half. Students were invited to complete the missing part of the face created independently, using colored drawing materials. The realistic image thus became a starting point for interpretation, combining careful observation, imagination, and an individual artistic response.

The creative process was accompanied by an analysis of portraits of elderly people and discussions about the challenges often associated with old age — loneliness, social isolation, and poverty, — as well as the importance of community and empathy. These themes encouraged students to search for distinctive visual narrative and to construct new portrait identities.

The exhibition reveals different artistic strategies: from realistic interpretations to the creation of fantastical characters and environments. The works employ drawing and collage techniques, highlighting the plasticity of the drawing, composition, artistic unity, and creative imagination.

The assignment was carried out by two “Creative Drawing” groups led by teachers Deimantė Petkevičiūtė and Ramunė Staškevičiūtė. As a result, the exhibition reflects different pedagogical approaches alongside the students’ individual creative solutions.