Justinas Marcinkevičius, GRYBŲ KARAS, 1988
The style of her characters could inspire the very best fashion designers and hair artists today, as Dočkutė was a master at juggling colours and angles. By doing close-ups and wide shots, she gave her characters a carnival feel, and such contrasts – along with an optimism to stand out from the masses – really left a mark on her creations. Not to mention the author being a radiant personality herself. During the Soviet era, she refused to talk to journalists, noting that all she can do is draw, not speak. Many people thought this was inappropriate, but artists were allowed to be themselves in those days.
She was born in Pumpėnai in 1938, and was already illustrating the texts she wrote as a child – she knew she’d be drawing children’s books when she grew up. Dočkutė studied graphic art at Lithuanian Art Institute. She’s mostly recognised for her illustrations of children’s books by such authors as Justinas Marcinkevičius, Martynas Vainilaitis, Kostas Kubilinskas, and many others. Her posters were widely exhibited in Europe, Russia, and the USA, some of them awarded diplomas and bonuses, for example “Jus kviečia Vilnius” [Vilnius Invites You] (1965), “Paroda” [Exhibition] (1975), SOS (1975), “Kokybė” [Quality] (1976). In 1987 Dočkutė was awarded the Lahti (Finland) city diploma for her poster “Estradinės muzikos festivalis“ [Pop Music Festival].
