Marija Anortė Mackelaitė, better known as Anortė Mackelaitė, (born October 14, 1930 in Kėdainiai

Kedainiai

Kėdainiai is one of the oldest cities in Lithuania. It is located on the Nevėžis River. First mentioned in the 1372 Livonian Chronicle of Hermann de Wartberge, its population as of 2008 was 30,214. Its old town dates to the 17th century....

) is a Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

n stained glass

Stained glass

The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...

 artist. Along with stained-glass artists such as Stasys Ušinskas

Stasys Ušinskas

Stasys Ušinskas, was a Lithuanian stained-glass artist. He is widely regarded as the "father of Lithuanian stained-glass art".-References:...

, Algimantas Stoškus, Kazimieras Morkūnas, Antanas Garbuskas, Filomena Ušinskaitė, Konstantinas Šatūnas and Bronius Bružas

Bronius Bružas

Bronius Bružas is a Lithuanian stained glass artist.In 1967, he graduated from the Lithuanian Art Institute ....

, she has been cited as one of the leading artists in this field in Lithuania and the Baltic States

Baltic states

The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...

. Her best-known work is the brightly colored stained-glass windows which she contributed to Anykščiai Church

Anykščiai Church

Church of Apostle Evangelist St. Matthew in Anykščiai is a red brick Neo-Gothic church in Anykščiai, Lithuania. The Church is situated on the right bank of the Šventoji River. The twin spires of the church, each in height, make the church the tallest in Lithuania...

, the tallest church in Lithuania.

Biography

In 1949–1951, Mackelaitė studied at the Kaunas Institute of Applied Decorative Art, and in 1955 at the Lithuanian Institute of Fine Arts. In 1956–1957, she became a school teacher in Kėdainiai. Since 1957 she has participated in exhibitions and has been the creator of ornamental stained glass. Her works are characterized by a harmonious composition, with ornamental strip line design, often combining bright with contrasting or moderate colors. In 1968 she designed the windows to the Klaipėda Cultural Palace and in the late 1960s also designed windows in the spa town of Druskininkai

Druskininkai

Druskininkai is a spa town on the Neman River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population of 18,233 and dates back as a spa resort to the 19th century.-Names:...

. Between 1970 and 1985, she worked on the Anykščiai Church

Anykščiai Church

Church of Apostle Evangelist St. Matthew in Anykščiai is a red brick Neo-Gothic church in Anykščiai, Lithuania. The Church is situated on the right bank of the Šventoji River. The twin spires of the church, each in height, make the church the tallest in Lithuania...

, the tallest church in Lithuania where she designed the brightly colored stained glass windows. She designed the window in the entrance hall of the Čiurlionis School of Art (1962) and the booths in the Aušrinė Cafe (1972). In the Vasara restaurant in Palanga

Palanga

Palanga and beautiful sand dunes. Officially Palanga has the status of a city municipality and includes Šventoji, Nemirseta, Būtingė and other settlements, which are considered as part of the city of Palanga.-Legend:...

, she innovatively used decorative properties of facet glass by utilizing it to face the walls.