Stanislovo Petraškos akmens tapyba

ENAnykščiai region is famous not only for magnificent nature, but also for creative people. A company of artists includes also folk artist Stanislovas Petraška (1935–2009) – creator of his own special technique, named – stone painting. This is a unique phenomenon having no analogy in Lithuania (and maybe in Europe?). Materials used for painting – preparation of stone powder made only with metal pestle and patience, remind of the times of ancient painting when painters used to make their own dye. This feature of painting technology, just like stone powder painting, requires a lot of commitment, incredible thoroughness, concentration and time – a true treasure in current times. Therefore, works of S. Petraška give rise to excitement. The early pieces feature a contrast of smooth dark wood background and stone painting, a little abstract, even primitive painting style with a fragmented, seemingly "cut" arrangement. The last section of the early period is characterized by "Pasaka" (Fairy Tale) (1978) and „Boržomi“, testify of a new and mature artistic speech: precisely, with minor details master pictures architecture and other motives (castles, hut on chicken leg, cat, conifers and clouds) in a "Fairy Tale", buildings on the Georgian downhill and mountain covering woods in "Boržomi"; the whole area of a picture is covered with stone sand and the harmony of various pastel colours reveals many-layered area and volume of different pictured objects. Pieces created from 1979 till master‘s death belong to the integral style period. In comparison with the early period, the latter period works retain textured integrity, more ideal arrangement, the picture and colour combinations are even more precise and present the space illusion.Although the colours of Lithuanian field stones destine the prevalence of pastel tones, but some works are enriched with a colour palette of green, blue, light blue and yellowish tones. Since the 9th decade, Petraška works start featuring greenly blue ("Trakai", 1982), later – greenish ("Karalienės liūnas", 1990), and yellowish undertones of different intensities ("Anykščiai", 1997, "Kavarskas", 2000, etc.). There is the greatest astonishment and amazement about master‘s attention to minute, photographically precise details: with stone sand, master precisely renders conifer, deciduous tree crowns, leave-free branches and trunk patterns, their reflections in water; roof covering of village houses and town buildings (straw, tiling, slate roofs) and other architectural elements (windows and windowsills, rhythm of logs and their splicing place, window glass shine); village household components (different kinds of fences, wells); it seems that master even counted city pavement tiles or stone brick lines on buildings, narrow railways, tree leaves on the ground in autumn or snow patches on the pine-trees, and building roofs. Notably, subjects of his works mainly prevailed also in the creative work of the older generation of folk artists who depicted Lithuanian nature, architectural and village images and historical motives. Stone painting works of S. Petraška tell us of the creative opportunities of a man as well as of the eternal and non-purchasable values of nation‘s mind and native homeland which should be protected and developed today, because only with self-cognition one can be interesting to others and find individuals traits of anything.