Birutė Žilytė entered the Lithuanian art scene in the early 1950s together with a group of then-young graphic artists who established a new artistic mindset and visual expression. This generation of graphic artists revived the national identity rooted in Lithuanian folk art and gave it new meaning. Their visual language was marked by modernity and refined decorative style, moving away from the realism that had previously dominated.

Žilytė created outstanding works of illustrative graphics that became a model and reference point for later generations of artists. A distinctive feature of her illustrations is their vivid colorfulness. The artist favored bright colors—especially various shades of red—and decorative combinations of pure color. She drew richness of color from nature, intensifying natural tones into symbolic expression. Through strong contrasts, she emphasized fragmented planes and created unexpected optical effects. Such illustrations for children’s books were innovative not only in Lithuanian graphic art but more broadly.

In the field of printmaking, Žilytė remained closely connected to her preferred themes of fairy tales, folklore motifs, and a unique interpretation of nature. Her artistic development was consistent and purposeful, shaped both by her rich creative nature and her close artistic partnership with the painter Algirdas Steponavičius.