Andante (Sonata of the Sea) 1908

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis painted "Andante (Sonata of the Sea)" using mixed media on canvas. Notice the painting's layered composition: at the top, a stylized seascape rendered in muted yellows and purples, contrasted by the sharp lines of a sailboat held within a large, ghostly hand. The hand seems to emerge from a dreamlike landscape of buildings and ships. Ciurlionis masterfully uses vertical lines to connect these disparate elements, merging the earthly with the ethereal. The structure may represent a semiotic system, where the sailboat and hand serve as signs pointing to broader cultural codes. This approach challenges fixed meanings, instead engaging with new ways of thinking about perception and representation. The dreamlike quality of the work prompts us to consider how Ciurlionis uses form not just aesthetically, but as part of a larger philosophical discourse. Through its visual structure, the painting invites ongoing interpretation, reflecting how art can destabilize established values and suggest new ways of seeing the world.