Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
On this day in 1875, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, a Lithuanian painter, composer, and writer, who contributed to Symbolism and Art Nouveau, and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch, was born. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe. Today we present his work thanks to M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. : )
M. K. Čiurlionis lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century, when new movements in art were forming. In his works he expressed ideas and themes that excited people then, and still do today. He also searched for answers to the common questions of human existence. Based on the folk creative mentality, enriched by his interest in different philosophical and religious theories, which were so popular in the Fin-de-Siecle Europe, M. K. Čiurlionis’ art embraced the aspirations of person, nation, and epoch. M. K. Čiurlionis painted seven pictorial sonatas. The artist named them by numbers (the literal titles were adapted later). His pictorial sonatas can be associated with a theory of synesthesia, the fusion of music and art. M. K. Čiurlionis’ pictorial sonatas embody an original approach to the issues of synesthesia. The artist applied to paintings principles of the musical composition, which have associations with the structure of musical forms (such as sonata, fugue, or prelude). He united various motifs from reality, different spatial levels, and moments in time, as well as contrasting symbolic images into a single compositional system (cycle), based on the dynamics of the rhythm.
Sonata of the Stars. Allegro. is an artistic vision of outer space. In this sonata the viewer is exposed to fantastical multilayered images. All the compositional elements in the painting are arranged in a complex rhythm of different variations. Portrayal of the third dimension no longer uses the perspective of space, instead opting for overlays of varying opacity. M. K. Čiurlionis envisions the universe as a magnificent polyphonic symphony of intertwining cosmic mists, stars, and sunlight. The waves of this ocean of space—the melodies—eddy and weave past each other, forming a rich, ornamented, and splendid web pierced by the path of the Milky Way. The movement in outer space is not chaotic, but rhythmical and harmonious. The symbol of the order and harmony of the Universe is envisioned as the bright figure of an angel standing on a tapering tower of light.
P.S. There is an undeniable symbiosis between painting and music. Explore how artists depicted music in art here.
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