When the political reform movement Sajudis began in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius in 1988, provincial cities and towns took time to wake up to the cause. In some areas the government, controlled by the Communist Party, prohibited any events with nationalist content. Some activists, however, disregarded the prohibition. Among them was engineer Amalijus Narbutas who lived in a northern Lithuanian town Šiauliai. In 1988, he created and published a poster dedicated to the author of the Lithuanian national anthem, Vincas Kudirka.

After the partition of the common Polish – Lithuanian state in 1795, Lithuania was occupied by Russia. All official activities and printing in the Lithuanian language were banned and speaking it in public places was prohibited. In 1889, the writer and political activist Vincas Kudirka (1858 – 1899) started to publish a newspaper Varpas (Lithuanian for ‘bell’), calling on the people of Lithuania under Russian rule to fight for their rights. Varpas was printed in Prussia, smuggled into Lithuania by ‘book smugglers’ (knygnešiai), and distributed illegally. Thousands of Lithuanians were deported to Siberia for such activities. From then on, the image of the bell became the symbol of Lithuania’s struggle for freedom. Kudirka also composed a song which immediately became a herald of the Lithuanian struggle against tsarist oppression and which was adopted as the national anthem after the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1918. After the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania in 1940, the anthem was banned.

The poster portrays Vincas Kudirka, the title of his newspaper and the text of his anthem. The artist self-published it in the edition of 3000 and distributed copies around Lithuania. The original design for the poster was created using lino-cut.

Amalijus Narbutas (b. 1934) studied engineering at the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute. Although he had not studied art, he produced prints and paintings alongside his professional work. He has held solo exhibitions and currently works in digital graphic design and publishing.