Paulius Augius-Augustinavičius (1909–1960) was one of the most important Lithuanian printmakers of the 20th century, a master of the woodcut trained in Kaunas and Paris and a member of the group Forma. His woodcut cycle “Samogitian Wedding”, after Motiejus Valančius, won an Honorary Prize at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition; from 1948 he lived in Chicago. His prints feature harmonious composition, stylised forms and laconic, modern cutting.
Paulius Augius-Augustinavičius (1909–1960) was one of the most important Lithuanian printmakers of the 20th century and a master of the woodcut. Born in Gečaičiai near Plungė in Samogitia, he graduated from the Kaunas Art School in 1935 and then studied in Paris, where he completed the School of Fine Arts and the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. He was a member of the artists’ group Forma. His diploma work, the woodcut illustration cycle “Samogitian Wedding” based on a story by Motiejus Valančius, won an Honorary Prize at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition. On returning to Lithuania he taught at the Kaunas Art School and, from 1942, at the Vilnius Academy of Arts. In 1944 he left for Germany and from 1948 lived in the United States, in Chicago. His prints include “Prayer” (1937), “Shepherdess” (1938) and the cycles “Calvaries of Samogitia” and “Samogitian Symphonies”, and he illustrated books including “Eglė, Queen of Serpents”. His work is characterised by harmonious, expressive composition, stylised forms and laconic, modern cutting. His works are held by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, the Samogitian Art Museum in Plungė, the Vilnius University Graphic Arts Cabinet and the Art Institute of Chicago.
