When María Lyakhovitskaya, known to friends and students as Masha, moved to Paraguay in 2019, she did not arrive with a detailed plan. Instead, curiosity and a desire to experience a different part of the world brought the Lithuanian-born artist to a country she knew little about.
Seven years later, the 31-year-old painter and impressionist divides her time between the cities of Areguá and Asunción, where she creates artwork, teaches students and prepares exhibitions. Looking back on that decision, she tells The Asunción Times how Paraguay has transformed her artistic style and her understanding of home.
Growing up with art
For Masha, painting began long before she considered it a profession. As a child, she spent her time drawing and attending art classes, encouraged by parents who recognised her interest from an early age. Creativity soon becomes a constant presence throughout her upbringing.
“It all started when I was four years old, when I was already showing interest in drawing and painting,” she says. “From that age, my parents enrolled me in every possible extra class after school.”
Growing up in Lithuania with strong Russian cultural influences, she studies with a local impressionist artist and receives guidance from a family friend who becomes an important mentor. Those experiences gradually shaped her ambitions.
“I already wanted, from the age of sixteen, to dedicate myself completely to art.”
Building a career abroad
That ambition takes María Lyakhovitskaya to Saint Petersburg before she moves to Florence at eighteen to pursue formal artistic training. After years of studying classical drawing and painting techniques, she feels ready to focus on practice rather than education.
“I already understood the foundation. I already understood the fundamentals that I needed. The question was only practice, moving forward, drawing and painting.”
After completing her studies, she exhibits her work in several European countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. Yet despite building a career abroad, she remains eager to explore somewhere completely different.
An unexpected move to Paraguay
In 2019, that opportunity arrives. Masha embraces uncertainty and follows her curiosity. “Honestly, I did not have a plan. I just went for it because I am quite adventurous.” At the time, she knew little about Paraguay. However, the country’s tranquillity stands out after years spent in busy European cities.
“I think it was because of its freedom and its tranquillity. In Europe, Paraguay is not very well known, and maybe that was something that attracted me.”
Soon after arriving, she discovers Areguá and quickly feels connected to its artistic community and natural surroundings. “I found the perfect place for me, full of artists, full of nature, exactly what I had always needed”.
The experience contrasts sharply with her previous homes. “In every place where I lived before, I never felt that I belonged. I never felt that people welcomed me well, and here it was completely the opposite.”
A transformation in style
Before arriving in Paraguay, Masha focused heavily on realism. Over time, the country’s landscapes and slower pace encourage her to adopt a freer, more expressive approach. Through travelling and painting outdoors, she becomes increasingly interested in capturing fleeting moments.
“Paraguay helped me step out of my comfort zone and become more free and relaxed.” The change extends beyond technique. “Paraguay taught me many things. It taught me to let go, not only in terms of technique and style but in life in general as well.”
Today, she views the country as a turning point in her personal and artistic development. “Paraguay completely changed the direction of my journey.”
Chasing light and atmosphere
Nature remains central to Masha’s work, although she does not focus on specific landmarks. Instead, she searches for mood, atmosphere and changing light.
“The protagonist is the light itself,” she says. For her, the contrast between light and shadow carries deeper meaning. It influences both the emotional impact of a painting and her broader outlook on life.
“We have to have shadow, to go through difficult things, in order to truly appreciate all the good things happening in life.” That philosophy guides her plein air practice, which involves painting outdoors while responding to shifting weather, light and emotion. “I pursue the emotion and the state of nature and atmosphere more than a particular object.”
Life in the studio
Today, María Lyakhovitskaya supports herself entirely through art. Alongside preparing exhibitions, she teaches students who want to develop their artistic skills. Although she once viewed teaching as intimidating, it has become an important part of her routine.
“I considered that I only knew how to paint and that teaching was something completely different, now it is already part of my routine.”
When she is not teaching or travelling, she spends much of her time in her studio. “My studio is my refuge, my sacred place, it is in the studio where the magic truly happens for me.”
Looking ahead, Masha hopes to continue exploring Paraguay through painting expeditions and outdoor projects. Seven years after arriving, she no longer sees the country as a temporary destination, she now sees it as home, a place where art, nature and community come together in ways she never expected.
To know more about her, follow María Lyakhovitskaya on Instagram.
Also read: Meet Berta Rojas: How Paraguay’s Cherished Guitarist Binds A Continent
