Antanas Kmieliauskas | Ex Libris Virgilio Tramontin, 1974 | Paper, author's technique (coloured textile lithograph), 12x7 (23x17)

Sign.:  e. d' a.  signature 74

Museum author. In Lithuania, works are held by LNDM, NČDM

This work represents a creative encounter between two masters of graphic art: Lithuanian artist Antanas Kmieliauskas dedicated this piece to the renowned professor of the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, Virgilio Tramontin. The ex libris is dominated by Kmieliauskas's signature monumental, sculptural human figure, whose dramatic plasticity and dual (light-and-shadow) division symbolize the inner tension of the creator and the superiority of spirit over matter. The piece was executed using a complex color etching technique, giving the paper a deep, almost three-dimensional relief feel. It is a striking example of the "Golden Age of Lithuanian Ex Libris," testifying to the international recognition achieved by Lithuanian graphic artists in the 1970s.