Unisex Painting

I have always enjoyed exploring femininity in my artwork. However, recently, I began noticing how the lines between femininity and masculinity are blurring. I was inspired to explore this phenomenon in my art and create a painting that would represent the modern human, questioning the old standards and drawing new boundaries. To me, modern masculinity is, perhaps slightly ironically, about freedom. Surely, the typical middle-aged white man is as free as some humans will never be, and yet, he is bound by multiple stereotypes: he must always be serious, strong, showcase no emotions, dress expensively, yet not too brightly or flashy, and the list goes on. I believe that modern masculinity is the ability to free oneself from all these “norms”. The ability to show emotions or learn how to do it at first, be vulnerable, unsure, and act in a manner that would generally be assigned to women some 50 years ago – enjoy shopping and dressing, spending time without a serious purpose, openly care for others and oneself, be creative and careless and fun. It brings me joy that both modern men and women face less and less “requirements'', yet, I don’t think it comes easy. Different requirements still appear. A modern man is required to be open, tolerant, caring, empathetic, know how to listen and how to express own emotions. I can only imagine how hard it must be for someone who can’t learn from different generations and still conforms to the old stereotypes. My country, Lithuania, has a unique socio-cultural background due to its complicated and hurtful history. Men here are forced to juggle the Western influence and the painful soviet heritage. The former invites one to be open, courageous, emotional, and tolerant, while the latter still requires unlearning and fighting the old stereotypes that the man always has to be strong and cold, no one can stand out from a crowd or challenge any public opinions. Modern masculinity is mostly about learning to be open and accepting of others.

Painting:Acrylic on Canvas

Original:One-of-a-kind Artwork

Size:31.5 W x 51.2 H x 0.8 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.