Justas Varpucanskis

Justas Varpucanskis was born in Chicago, Illinois, 1997. He attended the Florence Academy of Art, graduating from the Advanced Painting program in 2018. Justas was awarded the prestigious Fourth Year Prize where he pursued further study and personal research in the materials, philosophy, and methodology of the Florentine High Renaissance masters. His work mainly focuses on portraiture, trying to see the contemporary world through the contemplative and neoplatonic lens of late medieval Europe. He views this contemplative quality as an antidote to the clutter and busyness of modern life. On a technical level he tries to develop a working method which mirrors what was done in the workshop system. This includes everything from toning ones paper, to preparing panels, to grinding and mulling oil paint. Alongside portraiture Justas is pursuing more complex and narrative figurative work that would deal with timeless and classical themes.

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.