Solomonas Teitelbaumas

Solomonas Teitelbaumas was born in 1972, in Kaunas. In 1996, he studied at the Summer Arts Academy in Salzburg. In 1997 he graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts and later attained a graduate degree there. Since settling in Vilnius, Teitelbaumas has organized over ten solo exhibitions, and participated in more than fifteen group exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad including, Austria, Sweden, Iceland, Germany, France, China, the USA, Russia, and Italy.

 

Teitelbaumas’ brush strokes are expressive and pastoral, his colours are bright, intense, and deep. He intensely admires artists ofl'Écolede Paris like Chaim Soutine, Michel Kikoïne and Pinchus Krémègne and continues their creative tradition. His works boast highly expressive brush strokes and colours and celebrate the beauty of Lithuanian nature, which shaped Teitelbaumas both as an individual and as a painter: ‘I am a Litvak and I love my home country Lithuania, which has enchanted my soul for ever with its unique colours and beauty. I paint only from nature, and nature is a creation of the Almighty, who is an eternal teacher and an inexhaustible source of inspiration’.

 

Teitelbaumas combines the themes of Jewish history with the present. The artist searches for subjects in his immediate environment, like the landscapes of the cities of Vilnius, and Kaunas, the nature of the Lithuanian seaside, and the interiors of ancient buildings.

 

His paintings can be found in private Lithuanian and overseas collections, but also in museums including, the Vilna Gaon Museum of Jewish History which hosts seven works by the artist. This year, Teitelbaumas celebrates 50 years of full immersion in the creative process. The works presented in our exhibition include the canvas The Apocalyptic Cry of the Seagull (2021), painted just a year ago, and the piece Snow Cloud Messenger (2022). This time we have an opportunity to compare how Teitelbaumas’ artwork has changed over time as the exhibition also includes a piece from the artist’s diploma work — the 1997 triptych Kaunas Jewish Cemetery.