Jonas Mackonis was born on 8 November 1922. He was born on January 22, 2018 in Paąžuole village, Varėnos district. In 1948 he graduated from the Kaunas Institute of Art, Prof. S. Ušinskis Monumental Painting Studio. Since 1950 he has participated in exhibitions in Lithuania and abroad: in Russia, Germany, Canada, etc. In 1982 he held retrospective solo exhibitions in Vilnius and Kaunas.
J.Mackonis' works can be found in the Lithuanian Art Museum in Vilnius, the M.K. Čiurlionis Art Gallery in Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai Art Galleries, the Art Gallery in Kiev, the Brest Art Museum, and the Haydubesermen Art Museum in Hungary. Many of his paintings are in private collections in Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Israel, USA.
The rich artistic activity of Jonas Mackonis, a painter, professor of Vilnius Academy of Arts, doctor of art history and playwright, is another significant page in the history of our culture. The artist's multifaceted talent is evidenced not only by his paintings, but also by the monographs "Antanas Žmuidzinavičius", "Antanas Vivulskis", "Lithuanian Scenography", the book of reminiscences "Odyssey of the Boružės", and more than a hundred articles on artistic topics. He is also the co-author of such a major publication as "The History of 20th Century Lithuanian Art".
J. Mackonis' creative spirit is not estranged from dramaturgy. He is the author of five Lithuanian operas (including "Pilėnai" by V. Klova), two operetta libretti, several dramas and a film script, although his main speciality is painting. Art critics and art connoisseurs knew Mackonis as a well-educated man with a great sense of humour and a charming youthful disposition.
Mackonis' paintings are captivating because of their poetic beauty and strong realistic drawing. His artistic sphere is historical painting, portraiture and landscape. His large-format canvases, such as "Šiauliai Peasants' Uprising", "For Our and Your Freedom", "Thus Was Born the Lithuanian Opera", "Pilėnai", "Mažvydas", "Barbora and Žygimantas", show a keen interest in Lithuania's illustrious past and a special respect for the heritage of its spiritual values. In his paintings, he seeks to reveal the fateful moments of the nation's life, showing them in the vivid medium of human experiences, in the context of historical events.
The world of images painted by Mackonis is not a simple reflection of reality.
The solemn, solemn landscapes of Vilnius, radiating peace, are the architectural heritage of the capital of Lithuania as seen by the artist in his own way, fragile and not succumbing to the dregs of time, devastation, and then reborn again like a phoenix from ashes. With great love, in a light impressionistic touch, he painted old Vilnius - the city of temples and the sound of the bell ringing in their silence, preserving its traditions and the spring joy of Palm Sundays, attracted by the musical change of architectural forms and spaces, the mystery of narrow streets.
J. Mackonis's strong sentiments for Lithuanian history and ethnography, his romantic love for the old Vilnius, probably determined the uniqueness and constancy of his artistic style. He was always faithful to the sensitive and delicate line of realistic drawing, the free brushstroke capturing the play of colours in light. Over the years, as he moved uphill, he painted new paintings without following the fashions, with the touch of a mature artist.
