ENThe paper deals with the issue of the prospects of art that received considerable attention after the declaration of Lithuania's independence in 1918. Considered are the circumstances that contributed to the growing discord between the artists hoping for the efflorescence of national culture under conditions of independence and the indifferent public narrow-mindedly concerned with material wealth. Two different conceptions of art envisaged at the time are discussed: the traditional one, subjecting art to national and patriotic goals, and the innovative one striving for the autonomy of art and emphasizing the aesthetic criteria of artwork.