ENThe article explores the representation of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian national art schools in the reviews of the Vilnius Painting Triennials of the Soviet era. The seven triennials observed (1969–1987) cover almost two decades of Baltic art, allowing us to follow the potential changes or continuities in the perception of art schools: the vocabulary of critics, methods of interpretation and value orientations. The dossier of analysed reviews consists of newspaper and journal articles published in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian media.