Funeral Symphony (II) 1903

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis created "Funeral Symphony (II)" using pastel on paper. It is a work that encapsulates the fin-de-siècle preoccupation with mortality. Ciurlionis, active in early 20th-century Lithuania, was deeply embedded in the Symbolist movement, which sought to express subjective emotion through symbolic imagery. His fusion of music and painting—note the title “Symphony”—reflects a culture that valued synesthesia, the blending of the senses, as a path to deeper understanding. The somber procession against a radiant backdrop suggests a tension between earthly sorrow and spiritual transcendence. Made at a time of national awakening in Lithuania, where artists were creating a unique cultural identity in the face of Russian imperialism, Ciurlionis's work can be seen as a reflection on the nation’s struggles and hopes for a brighter future. To fully appreciate Ciurlionis, we need to explore the cultural and political milieu of early 20th-century Lithuania. Accessing archives, studying contemporary literary and musical criticism, will provide a much richer understanding of this artwork.