20th century Lithuanian expressionist painter.
Born in a family of farmers. Started drawing as a child. 1907-1910 - studied at the Academy of Arts in Königsberg. 1910-1914: honed his skills with Lovisa Corinth in Berlin, studied the collections of French, British and Italian museums, visited Russia and Norway). In 1914-1918, he visited the Nida Artists' Camp, and participated in the Coursel Artists' Camp on the Semba Peninsula. In 1920, after obtaining the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania, he visited Lithuania several times, and from 1938 onwards he signed his works with his Lithuanian surname.
19191919-1938, he lived in Berlin, where he gained real recognition. His works were acquired by the National Gallery in Berlin, museums in Hamburg, Königsberg, Lübeck, Szczecin and private galleries. He exhibited in Austria, Romania, Turkey, Germany and other countries, together with famous modernist artists of the time. In 1914-1918 he visited Nida, and in 1920 he received a Lithuanian passport.
In 1933, when the National Socialist campaign against modern art began in Germany, the works of Pranas Domšaicis, as well as those of other prominent modernists, were destroyed, thrown out of state museums, and exhibitions were banned. In 1937, his paintings were exhibited alongside works by Emil Nolde, Ernst Barlach and other Expressionists in the travelling exhibition "Entartete Kunst" (degenerate art).
In 1938, the artist left Berlin for Austria. In Austria, he met Lithuanian emigrant artists who had left Lithuania in 1944. In 1949, he moved to South Africa with his wife Adelheida Armhold and settled in Cape Town. He worked intensively, organised exhibitions and successfully participated in competitions. He was able to combine the forms of European modern art and African traditional art in his work.
The artist's early work was close to Impressionism, later his work showed features of Expressionism. He began his creative career with rural scenes and became famous as a master of landscape painting. Religious themes are important in his work. The works are intensely coloured, expressive and generalized. Shading contrasts create a mysterious, mystical mood, often using black outlines. The motif of the road, the never-ending journey, has become a symbol of his work.
He created domestic ("Potatoes are being shaved", 1910) and religious ("Running to Egypt", 1918, 1950, 1952, 1958, 1960, "Revelation" in 1955, 1962, 1963, 1964, "Crucifixion" in 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964), paintings, landscapes ("Landscape of Lithuanian Countryside" in 1918, "Fishermen's Boats" in 1935, "Austrian Landscape" 1938, "Village in the Karoo" 1958), portraits ("Self-Portrait" 1930, 1956, "Portrait of Adelheid Armhold" 1933), still lifes ("Flowers" 1937, 1960), figure compositions ("Dancers" 1952, "Three Women" 1955, "Four Figures" 1961)
In 1989-2001, the Lithuanian American Foundation gave 528 works by the painter to the Lithuanian Art Museum. 26 July 2001. On July 26, 2001, the Klaipėda Picture Gallery (renamed the Pranas Domšaitis Gallery in 2004) opened a permanent exhibition of paintings by P. Domšaitis. In 2006, the Lithuanian Foundation donated another 135 works by the artist. At present, the Lithuanian Art Museum holds 665 works by P. Domšaitis.
