Liudas Truikys, Šiauliai, 1931

1918-1923

Went to Sauls gymnasium in the Telsiai town. Listened to Vydunas' lectures, knew him personally.

1923

Admitted to the General Department of Kaunas Art School.

6 September 1924-18

Studied at Kaunas Art School: 1927 -in Adomas Varnas', 1928 - in Justinas Vienozinskis' painting studios. Awarded the qualification of teaching art subjects in colleges.

18 February 1929

By the order of the Ministry of Education, expelled from the School alongside 34 fellow students for the participation in a strike.

3 April 1929

Admitted to Academie Julien in Paris. Went there but did not remain to study.

1930

Took part in the activities of the Association of Independent Painters (its member as of 1 November 1932).

1930-1940

Started the studies in theatre decorations and costumes, was writing a Universal History of the Costume. It was his most active and productive creative decade: the artist expressed himself in scenography, graphic illustration of books, painting and making stained glass windows. It was at that time that he created all his works for drama theatre and discovered the opera genre which was the closest to his artistic nature. In scenography, he set himself a task of expressing the musical form, focused on formal, constructive structure of the work of art, analysed the laws of dynamics, explored the possibilities of stage techniques and theatrical space, focused on visual semantics of the motif. His artistic language was mostly abstract modern language. Was noticed by art and theatre critics. The articles of the time speak mostly about his works in painting and scenography. An important event in his personal life: he started a close relationship with the opera prima donna Marijona Rakauskaite who in 1935 became the artist's life companion and his muse.

1931-1932

Worked as an artist in the division of the State Theatre in Siauliai with such directors as Dauguvietis and Stanulis. Created the scenography for the following drama performances: Butterflies by Sudermann, Patriots by Vaiciunas, The One Who Is Slapped in the Face by Andrejev, Ruler by Mykolaitis-Putinas, Terrible Hypocrisy by Ciurlioniene-Kymantaite, Woman by Garrick, Mary Magdalene by Heyse. The works have not survived.

1932-1940

Worked as an artist in the State Theatre in Kaunas with such directors as Dauguvietis, Oleka-Zilinskas, Sutkus, Dautartas, Pavlovsky. Created the scenography for the following drama performances: Play of Gold (1932) and On the Right Track (1933) by Vaiciunas, A Fire in Lithuania by Alantas (1934), Wilhelm Tell by Schiller (1935), Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles (1939); and the following operas: The Sold Bride by Smetana (1934), Ball of Masks by Verdi (1934), Hofman s Fairytales by Offenbach (1935), Three Talismans by Raciunas (1936), Madam Butterfly by Puccini (1937), Otello by Verdi (1938), Egle by Petrauskas and Dambrauskas (1939), The Dead Eyes by D'Albert (1940) and the only ballet - Don Quixote by Minkus (1936) (the artist himself did not value the last work).

1933,1934,1935

Visited Berlin; attended lectures at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris; attended a private studio of Prof. Paul Colin; studied stage techniques at the Pigalle theatre; learnt some French.

1936

Became a member of the Lithuanian Union of Artists.

1937

Attended lectures at Berlin Kunst Schulle; learned about the lighting equipment in Siemens and Hagedorn factories of theatre machinery in Berlin; got acquainted with the great stages of Berlin, Dresden and Munich; improved his German.

1 October 1941-1949

A period of intense teaching activity: lectured at Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Art; read a two-year course on history of the costume; taught history of theatre, stage techniques, water colours. Used individual teaching methods; was criticised and humiliated. Worked mostly in the area of painting, tried various techniques and genres, most frequently painted landscapes. Created the scenography for the opera Romeo and Juliet by Gounod (1948).

1944

Settled in Kaunas with the singer Marijona Rakauskait, at 14 Fryko Street (former Vaizganto and later Lermontovo Street). Lived there until his death. Currently the flat has been turned into a memorial museum of Liudas Truikys and Marijona Rakauskaite.

1944-1948

Head of the Theatre Decorations Department at Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Art.

19 May 1945

Individually prepared for and passed the examinations at the Division of Monumental Painting of Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Art (his diploma work was scenography for the opera Otello by Verdi), received a diploma in theatre scenography.

1945

Became a member of the Artists' Union of the USSR.

1946-1949

Dean of the Fine Textile Faculty at Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Art.

5 April 1947

Awarded the title of Associate Professor by the Highest Certification Commission.

16 March 1948

Hired as Chief Painter at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania.

9 July 1948

Dismissed from the position of Chief Painter at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre.

29 March 1948

Dismissed from the position of Head of the Fine Textile Department of Kaunas Institute of Applied and Decorative Art.

1949-1959

Deprived of the rights of the member of the Artists' Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania. That was a hard decade: the artist was completely ignored, faced financial difficulties. Painted frescoes in Kaunas churches, which earned him still greater disfavour of the Soviet authorities. At that time focused on the decorative aspect of a work of art, plastic suggestion, was seeking symbolic expression.

1953-1959

Lectured at Stepas Zukas' School of Applied Art in Kaunas.

1959-1975

Read lectures to the artists of Vilnius Models Home on history of the costume, returned to the public life, regained confidence, started creating for the theatre again. Opera became the most important laboratory of his artistic explorations, he consistently investigated the links between music and the fine arts in theatre, discovered the main plastic key of rendering meaning to music as well as a targeted and integral expression of plastic playing of music. The artist attracted the attention of the press which published comprehensive articles about his work. He created the scenography for a few operas of importance in his life: Don Carlo (1959) and La Traviata (1966) by Verdi and Grazina (1968) by Karnavicius. Many ideas, however, remained on paper.

30 December 1964

His rights of the member of the Artists' Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania were restored.

August 1969-1975

Lectured at Kaunas evening class division of the Art Institute of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania, at the Department of Applied Art.

17 July 1975

Marijona Rakauskaite, opera prima donna and the artist's girlfriend died.

1975-1987

The last decade of the artist's life was marked by loneliness. His work was investigated by the musicologist Edmundas Gedgaudas and the art researcher Irena Kostkeviciute, the artist received further support from the art researcher Nijole Tumeniene and was assisted by Lionginas Sepetys. He was visited by painters Vytautas Ciplijauskas and Rimantas Dichavicius. At that time he continued his exploration of the language of the Italian music (Verdi, Puccini) and improved the visual formula of musical solutions. His works demonstrate the establishment of a monumental orchestration of musical plastic and the perfection of visual aesthetics. The poetry of his early works has transformed itself into a dramatic vision of plastic chords.
Even though under difficult circumstances, the artist accomplished some of his most significant works: the scenography of Verdi's Aida (1975), Don Carlo (1981) and La Traviata (1984). Unfortunately, the last refined sketches for Verdi's Otello (1983-1984) and the scenography for Puccini's Princess Turandot (1982-1984) did not reach the stage.

28 May 1987

Died in Kaunas. Buried in Kaunas, Petrasiunai cemetery.