Arunas Zilys creates mysterious paintings of haunting beauty. "Birdman", "Guardian Angel", "Offerings"--these popular Zilys titles invite you into another world. Fantastic hybrid creatures stalk through a pointillist landscape of vivid paintbox colors. Calmly they stare out from the canvases, inviting you to join them on their mysterious quests. Symbols and myths swirl about in a mosaic of meaning. The unique visions of Zilys, once viewed, are tattooed on your heart indelibly. They echo, like an ancient dream.
Lithuanian painter Arunas Zilys has emerged as a leading light of the style of art known as Mythic Surrealism. The uplifting emotional tone, rendered in his signature jewel-bright colors, brings a unique cheer to Zilys’ imagery.
Arunas Zilys was born in 1953 in Vilnius, the capitol and oldest city in Lithuania. This small country, whose ancient language is most closely related to Sanskrit, declared independence in 1990 after enduring a history dominated by oppressive foreign occupations. With largely agricultural roots and an extensive mythology similar to Norse traditions, the resourceful and artistic Lithuanians have an unshakable sense of identity.
Zilys attended the M.K. Ciurlionis School of Art in Vilnius and graduated with a degree in graphic arts in 1973. He then attended the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, where he took a degree in 1979. Zilys began his career in the arts as both a painter and a jewelry maker.
A style this distinctive comes along but rarely in the art world. A growing number of private and corporate collectors are testament to Zilys’ unique gift. He has had numerous one-man shows in galleries and museums in Europe and America. The careful viewer may have noticed paintings by Zilys in the background of several feature films and television shows, including “Friends”, “Veronica’s Closet”, “The X-Files”, “The Mod Squad” and others.
Take a journey into the soul with Arunas Zilys as your guide and you will emerge refreshed, with new eyes, ready to stride off on the mythic quest that is your own life.
