VYTAUTAS BUTKUSFOTOGRAFIJOS

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VYTAUTAS BUTKUSFOTOGRAFIJOS

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Dalia Bielskyt!

Sveiki atvyk%. Turite klausim&? Atsakym& 'iame albume nerasite. Nerasite (enklo, rodan)io krypt*, nerasite liepiamosios nuosakos, ai'ki& tendencij& ar koncepcijos. Rasite 'ird*. Rasite keli+. Rasite atspind* – gal j,s&, o gal jumyse.Vytautas Butkus klajoja tarp )ia ir ten, tarp vakar ir 'iandien. Piev& takelis, autostrada, apr,dij% tramvajaus b-giai veda albumo keleiv* nuo jaukios ir pa(*stamos Taurag-s iki tolim&j& amerik&. .ali& ir miest& kaleidoskopas akimirkai stabteli, i'nyra nusteb%s merginos veidas, tolimos praeities prisiminimas – suvargusios Kaliningrado senut-s, 'ypsantys saul-je *rud% Lietuvos kaimo vyrai, vaikis, lyg sirpstantis vaisius pakib%s ant obels 'ak&... Kur tai matyta? .irdyje. O gal kelyje.O gal atspindy? Nebesaugantys vartai, nebejungiantys tiltai, senesni u( atmint* laiptai, nebeveikiantys hidroforai, fontanai ir stulbinantys n,dienos technikos stebuk-lai – tik fonas, kuriame regime (mones, j& keistus siluetus, tirpstan)ius *vairi& am(i& architekt,ros didyb-je, 'viesos ir 'e'-li& (aism-je. Jie liudija atsitiktin* buvim+ tame

laike ir toje erdv-je, liudija laikinum+. .iurpulys – visi i'-jo, liko tik kalnas kr,von suverst& k-d(i&, li,dn& ir tu')i&, vis dar menan)i& k,n& 'ilum+ ir pokalbi& nuotrupas. Baisu? Vienatv-s? Benamyst-s? Nemeil-s? O gal savo atspind(io neb,tyje?Sukam-s pa'-lusiu grei)iu: metro, dangorai(iai, gondolos, .v. Morkaus aik't-s baland(iai, meksikieti'ko maisto kavin-s, dvira)io vairas, ratas, keleivis, arkos ir bok'tai, diev& jau apleistos 'ventyklos... Stok. Iki skausmo pa(*stamas vie'kelis. Horizonte – migla. Galb,t rytas. Ir pirkel-s stogo trikampis, lyg vaiki'kame pie'inyje. /ia viskas svarbu – ir medis, ir jo 'e'-lis kelio dulk-se. Tuojau keliu dvira)iu atva(iuos baltaskar- mo)iut- su dar 'ilto pieno bidonais. Sustatys juos ant medinio suolelio. Pa(i,r-s, ar neatne'- pa'to. Cinkt cinkt – skimbsi dvira)io skambutis.0em- garuoja. Sustoj% ant Vytauto Butkaus fotovie'kelio, kad ir pilnomis niujork& galvomis, matome daugiau nei peiza(+. Regime, kas buvo ir kas bus.Par-jom namo. Lietuva. /ia atved- kelias, )ia 'irdis ir visatos centras – tai, apie k+ verta suktis ir kur visada norisi gr*(ti. Lietuvoje atsispindi pasaulis.

Welcome! You have some questions? In this album you will find no answers. No directions. No imperatives or clear tendencies or concepts. Instead, you will discover the heart and the road. You will find a reflection. Either yours or in yourselves.Vytautas Butkus wanders between here and there, between today and yesterday. A country lane, a highway or rusty tram rails lead the traveller of the album from cosy and so familliar Taurage to faraway americas. The kaleidoscope of countries and towns stops now and then and there emerge a surprised face of a girl, a recollection of a distant past – elderly women in Kaliningrad, smiling sunburnt Lithuanian countrymen and a kid swinging on a branch in an apple–tree. Like a fruit.Where have you seen that before? In your heart. On your road. Or, maybe, in the reflection?Gates that have nothing to protect, bridges that connect no more, stairs that have outlived the memory, hydrants that no longer splash water, fountains and amazing technological wonders of today are just a background. And what we see against it are people. Their strange silhouettes blurred in the glory of

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architecture of various epochs, in the play of light and shadows, are the witnesses of our accidental existence in time and space and its ephemerality.A chill runs down your spine – everybody has gone. What is left is just a pile of empty chairs in a tumble, sad and deep in thought remembering the warmth of bodies, fragments of conversations…Scared? By loneliness, homelessness, hostility? Or by your own reflection in the non–existence ?We spin in a furious merry–go–round: subways, skyscrapers, gondolas, the pigeons of St. Marcus’ square, Mexican city cafes, bicycle handlebars, a wheel, a traveller, arches and towers, and temples deserted by gods… Stop! This road, a familiar gravel one… a misty horizon… a morning most probably. And the

triangle of a cottage roof, like in a child’s painting.Everything is of great importance here.Both a tree and its shadow on the road dust. In a moment or so a granny will come on a bike, her head wrapped in a white shawl. She will bring cans full of warm milk and stand them on a little wooden bench. Then she will go and check the mail box…Ding–dong rings the bell of the bike! The soil is steaming.Even though our heads are stuffed with new–yorks, standing on Vytautas Butkus’ photohighway, we see more than

landscapes. We see what has already been and what is still to come. We are home. This is Lithuania. The road has lead us back. This is the very heart, the centre of the universe, a place you are always burning to return to, and wish to belong to.

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Skirmantas Valiulis

Kas mieliausia jo fotografijose? Artimumas (mon-ms. Net u(sienyje jis dairosi * veidus, jungia juos su miest& erdv-mis, kartais *spraud(ia kampe prie namo ar stebi poilsiaujan)ius ant 'aligatvio. Namie – irgi. S-di trys bobul-s ant suoliuko, bet ne 'iaip sau smakso ar l,kuriuoja autobuso, o prekiauja (em-s g-ryb-mis i'd-liojusios jas ant (em-s. Ta)iau vis& mieliausia, regis, nub-gusi ar nuried-jusi dvira)iu vaikyst-. Gal autoriaus prisiminimuose ji teberieda iki 'iol? Tik jau kiti vaikai jo fotografijose, kiti ir dvira)iai, ir tiltai jungiantys laikus ir gyvenimus. Visada jauku V. Butkaus peiza(uose, net tada, kai matai aptrup-jusias tvoras, pairusius laiptelius, lang& kiaurymes. Juk )ia irgi laiko, kur* i'gyvenai tu ar kiti, p-dsakai.Fotografija ir sugr+(ina mums laiko jausm+ ir jo b-gsm+. Tauragi'kiai t+ puikiai (ino, nes yra i'leid% *domi& knyg& i' savo fotografijos istorijos. Sunkiau pasverti spalvotosios fotografijos b,tinum+ greta i'rai'king& juoda–balta kompozicij& ir tonacij&. Tod-l por+ kart& autorius itin pabr-(ia architekt,ros, gatvi& (enkl& spalvingum+, be kurio

sunku *sivaizduoti 'iuolaikinio miesto vizualin% kult,r+. Kartais ir apsiriboja kontrasting& spalv& kelio (enklais. Svarbu, kad pasiekia geid(iam+ fotogra-fin* efekt+. Nors * pirm+j+ knyg+ sud-ti *vairi& met& darbai, ji sumaketuota *domiai, fotografij& neperkrauta, erdv-s vaizdui pakanka. Originalumu knyga gal ir nenustebina, bet fotografijos kalba *valdyta, jausmai – nuo'ird,s, ry'ys su namais ir pasauliu – glaudus.

What appeals in his photographs is his closeness to people. Even on a tour abroad, his eyes are in a continuous search of faces against urban back-grounds. Sometimes he squeezes them into the corner beside a house, sometimes watches them idling on a pavement…At home it is likewise: three elderly ladies sitting on a bench, not just killing the time or waiting for a bus – they are selling earthly blessings laid out on the ground.But the most appealing seems to be the childhood that has just swept past or disappeared in the distance on a bike. Probably, it is still riding in the author’s memories… Just kids are not the same and different are the bikes – as well as the bridges that connect times and lives.The landscapes by Vytautas Butkus always

radiate cosiness, even those with rotten fences, frayed stairs or caverns of broken windows. And it is natural because those are the decaying witnesses of time that has once belonged to you or someone else. The photography brings back both the sense of time itself and its unrestrained flow.The people of Taurage know it very well and they have published several attractive books on the history of their photography. It is though a little difficult to estimate the necessity of the colour photograph comparing it to expressive black-and-white compositions and tones. That is why the author highlights the colourfulness of the architecture and street signs. Otherwise, it would be complicated to imagine the visual culture of the modern city. In some of the works the author even limits himself to traffic signs of contrasting colours. Whatever the idea, the obvious success in achieving the wanted artistic effect is of paramount importance.Although this first book contains works of several different years, it is not overloaded with photographs which gives enough space for the view and its modelling is interesting. The book may not be amazingly original, but it is a good sample of a mastered language of photography.

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GRUPIN7S PARODOSBudrio Lietuvi& Fotoarchyvo paroda, /ikaga, JAV, 5##"-!""$Taurag-s fotograf& ataskaitin-s parodos, kasmet nuo 5##3Pirmoji turizmo ir kelioni& fotografij& paroda, Vilnius, 5##4„Gyvos (em-s mintys“, Ma(eikiai, 5###„Gyvos (em-s mintys“, Ma(eikiai, !""5Belchatovo savivaldyb-, Lenkija, !""!Kra'totyros muziejus, Panev-(ys, !""$K-daini& rotu'-, !""$ Pasaulio Lietuvi& centras Lemonte, /ikaga, JAV, !""$ „/ikaga x 3“, Taurag-s fotogalerija, !""$„Dvi dienos Til(-je“, istorijos muziejus Sovetske, Kaliningrado sritis, !""$„Pa(velkime i' naujo“, Taurag-s fotogalerija, !""1„Gamta – vis& namai“, Kauno FUJIFILM fotogalerija, !""2„Gegu(-s #-oji“, istorijos muziejus Sovetske, Kaliningrado sritis, !""2Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Panev-(io fotogalerija, !""3Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Lietuvos ambasada Dubline, Airija, !""4Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Elektr-n& sav. vie'oji biblioteka, !""4Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, meno galerija Kaliningrade, Rusija, !""4Klubo paroda, istorijos muziejus Kaliningrade, Rusija, !""4 Klubo paroda, Ma(eiki& kult,ros centras, !""4

!""3 m. respublikinio konkurso, „Spaudos fotografija !""3”, tema „Reporta(as“, nominantas.

GRUPIN7S PARODOSBudrio Lietuvi& Fotoarchyvo paroda, /ikaga, JAV, 5##"-!""$Taurag-s fotograf& ataskaitin-s parodos, kasmet nuo 5##3Pirmoji turizmo ir kelioni& fotografij& paroda, Vilnius, 5##4„Gyvos (em-s mintys“, Ma(eikiai, 5###„Gyvos (em-s mintys“, Ma(eikiai, !""5Belchatovo savivaldyb-, Lenkija, !""!Kra'totyros muziejus, Panev-(ys, !""$K-daini& rotu'-, !""$ Pasaulio Lietuvi& centras Lemonte, /ikaga, JAV, !""$ „/ikaga x 3“, Taurag-s fotogalerija, !""$„Dvi dienos Til(-je“, istorijos muziejus Sovetske, Kaliningrado sritis, !""$„Pa(velkime i' naujo“, Taurag-s fotogalerija, !""1„Gamta – vis& namai“, Kauno FUJIFILM fotogalerija, !""2„Gegu(-s #-oji“, istorijos muziejus Sovetske, Kaliningrado sritis, !""2Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Panev-(io fotogalerija, !""3Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Lietuvos ambasada Dubline, Airija, !""4Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, Elektr-n& sav. vie'oji biblioteka, !""4Taurag-s fotograf& darb& paroda, meno galerija Kaliningrade, Rusija, !""4Klubo paroda, istorijos muziejus Kaliningrade, Rusija, !""4 Klubo paroda, Ma(eiki& kult,ros centras, !""4

!""3 m. respublikinio konkurso, „Spaudos fotografija !""3”, tema „Reporta(as“, nominantas.

VYTAUTAS BUTKUSGim- 5#24 m. Taurag-je. 5#42 m. baig- Kauno Antano Snie)kaus Politechnikos institut+. Dirba Taurag-s profesinio rengimo centre vyresniuoju profesijos mokytoju. Profesinio rengimo centre V. Butkus vadovauja jaun&j& fotograf& b,reliui. Jo mokiniai — daugelio respublikini& konkurs& nugal-tojai ir laureatai.Lietuvos fotomeninink& s+jungos narys nuo !""1 m.

SVARBIAUSI DARBAI„Kelion-s“ (5##"-!""1)„Studentai“ (5##5)„Atspind(iai“ (5##2-!""2)„Sm-lis-j,ra“ (5##2-!""1)„Gegu(-s #-oji“ (5##4-!""1)„Karaliau)iaus kra'tas“ (!"""-!""1)„I'einantis kaimas“ (!""!–!""1)„V-j& miestas“ (!""$)„Islandija“ (!""2–!""3)

PERSONALIN7S PARODOSFotografij& paroda, Taurag-s kult,ros namai, 5##3Fotografij& paroda, Pag-gi& biblioteka, !"""Fotografij& paroda, Taurag-s profesinio rengimo centras, !"""„Islandija. Ramyb-s spalvos“, Taurag-s fotogalerija, !""4

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Kult,ros r-mimo fondas

AB „Lietuvos draudimas“

Taurag-s rajono savivaldyb-

Taurag-s apskrities vir'ininko administracija

Taurag-s profesinio rengimo centras

Rimut- ir Vaclovas Karbauskiai

Sigita ir Vytautas Radveikiai

Irena ir Tomas Alijo'iai

Regina ir Silverijus Statkai

UAB „Televizijos komunikacijos“

UAB „Apastata“

UAB Taurag-s vandenys

Vytautas Butkus. Fotografijos. – Klaip-da, !""#. –5"4 p.: iliustr.Albume pristatomi keli Vytauto Butkaus pastar&j& de'imtme)i& k,rybos ciklai./ia atved- kelias, )ia 'irdis ir visatos centras – tai, apie k+ verta suktis irkur visada norisi gr*(ti. Lietuvoje atsispindi pasaulis.

Sudar-Compiled byVytautas Butkus

DailininkasDesignerAr,nas Juozapaitis

TekstasTextDalia Bielskyt-Skirmantas Valiulis

Vert-TranslationLiuda Mateikait-

Fotojuostas skenavoFilm scanningVaidotas Bartkus

© Vytautas Butkus, !""#© Ar,nas Juozapaitis, !""#© Dalia Bielskyt-, !""#© Skirmantas Valiulis, !""#© Liuda Mateikait-, !""#

UDK 33."1(131.2)("41) Bu1"$

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ISBN #34-##46-$5-!32-4

“Vytautas Butkus.Fotografijos”ISBN #34-##46-$5-!32-4Knygos bruksninis kodas:#34##46$5!324