Gražina Didelytė-Abaravičienė (2 October, 1938 – January 2, 2007) was a Lithuanian graphic artist and book illustrator.

Biography

Gražina Didelytė has born in a suburban (at that time) area of

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

in 1938. She graduated Kaunas Salomėja Nėris secondary school in 1957. Later she studied chemistry in

Kaunas Polytechnic Institute The Kaunas University of Technology (abbreviated as KTU, ) is a public university, public research university located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Established in 1922, KTU has been seen as one of Lithuania's top science education centers. In 2021, KTU ...

but joined Lithuanian Institution of Arts in 1961 and graduated graphics subject there in 1967. Since 1968 Didelytė began her career as an artist. She participated in local and foreign expositions, illustrated books, designed

bookplate An , also known as a bookplate (or book-plate, as it was commonly styled until the early 20th century), is a printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership. Simple typographical bookplates are ...

s. During the 1970s–1980s she actively participated in ethnographic expeditions, folk festivals, hikes through important historical places in Lithuania. Because of this activity, she was investigated by Soviet security organizations. 1977 Didelytė moved from Kaunas to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, where she got a studio. Later she often camped in

Dzūkija Dzūkija () or Dainava is one of five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. Dzūkija is a cultural region defined by traditional lifestyles and dialects of the local Lithuanian population (mostly rural farmers) and has never been defined as a poli ...

region and bought a homestead in Rudnia (Rudnelė) village. Since 1995 till 2006 she lived in remote Rudnia village permanently (at times all alone in the whole village) and opened her gallery "Andeinė" there in 2005. In October 2006 she got injured and left for Vilnius where she died next year.

Works

Gražina Didelytė participated in around 30 expositions in Lithuania,

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

(in 1977, 1983),

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

(in 1977), Latvia (in 1984–85),

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

(in 1993–94),

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(in 1996). She designed around 700 bookplates, also many art prints (

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...

cycles "Song about Tree" in 1970, "Lithuania of Svirskis" in 1975, "Oh, Homeland" in 1976, "In memoriam Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas" in 1978, "Moments" in 1982, "The Rudnia Marsh" in 1991), fine graphics works, book illustrations (for the poetry books of

Justinas Marcinkevičius Justinas Marcinkevičius (10 March 1930 – 16 February 2011) was a prominent Lithuanian poet and playwright. Life and career Marcinkevičius was born in 1930 in Važatkiemis, Prienai district municipality, Prienai District. In 1954, he gra ...

Kazys Bradūnas Kazys Bradūnas (11 February 1917 – 9 February 2009) was a Lithuanian émigré poet and editor. Life Kazys Bradūnas was born in in the Lithuania District of Ober Ost, a territory occupied by the German Empire, now in the Vilkaviškis Dist ...

, Aldona Puišytė,

Gintautas Iešmantas Gintautas Iešmantas (January 1, 1930 – September 4, 2016) was a Lithuanian politician. In 1990 he was among those who signed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania The Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithua ...

, Česlovas Masaitis, Algimantas Baltakis and others). During her stay in Rudnelė, she created a cycle dedicated to the local nature the ''Dainavos klodai'' ('The Dainava Stratum'). left, 230px, G. Didelytė gallery ''Andeinė'' in Rudnia village Didelytė employs metaphoric style depicting inner human emotions, mythical, ethnographical motives, nature elements. Some later her works explore

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

and post-war resistance themes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Didelyte, Grazina 1938 births 2007 deaths Lithuanian graphic designers 20th-century Lithuanian illustrators 21st-century Lithuanian illustrators Lithuanian women illustrators Burials at Rasos Cemetery