Deluge (VIII) 1904

Curator: Soaked. That’s the first word that leaps to mind when I look at this, drenched, like everything is dissolving in the mist. Editor: Allow me to introduce you to Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis's watercolor painting "Deluge (VIII)" from 1904. Its palette and composition evoke a unique symbolic language that feels both intimate and immense. Curator: Symbolic language, yes. And perhaps, the weight of the world bearing down, filtered through the anxieties of early 20th-century consciousness. This feels intensely personal, but also burdened by historical weight, wouldn't you agree? The deluge, of course, referencing narratives of catastrophe and purification present across cultures. Editor: Absolutely. And the role of the artist as a seer, a figure who witnesses and processes such upheaval. What strikes me is the ambiguous placement of a possible architectural structure almost like an embryonic dome or a memory of the sublime. How do we position this imagery within broader narratives of climate change, artistic premonition, and existential risk? Curator: Ooh, yes, an "embryonic dome," I like that! It's almost hopeful and melancholic at once. And it makes me question the definition of landscape; the painting invites conversation around apocalyptic imagination. And considering Ciurlionis's interest in synesthesia, I can almost *hear* the mournful rumble in the painting's depths, the oppressive quiet just before everything is washed away. I want to hold onto the canvas. Editor: His compositions offer us not a reflection of reality, but an interpretation of emotions through chromatic and rhythmic organizations which positions this piece right at the precipice of symbolism and early expressionism. I also appreciate how you perceive that synesthetic quality of Ciurlionis's art that bridges different planes. Curator: The way the dark landmass contrasts with the muted ethereal sky and soft watercolor really heightens the atmosphere. Editor: For me, this art inspires deep contemplation on how societal anxieties seep into art, transcending specific historical eras. Curator: And for me it reinforces art's capacity to make you viscerally feel rather than intellectually know, that fear is also possibility, at least here in this “Deluge.”