Rex I 1904

"Rex I" was dreamt up by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis sometime around the turn of the century. Look closely, and you can see these broad, flat planes of color. A creamy white sail, a stripey yellow column, and then these moody blues, reds, and browns. I can imagine him, Ciurlionis, slowly building up these layers, pushing and pulling the paint around until these shapes emerge. It’s like he’s trying to capture a feeling, a memory, or some kind of inner vision. The paint itself seems to be a character; he’s coaxing it into just the right form. The way the colors bleed into each other, especially in that lower register, is so nice, you can almost feel the ripples in the water. Ciurlionis's work reminds me a bit of Odilon Redon, who was also into these kinds of dreamy, symbolic landscapes. Painting is just one big conversation, isn't it? Artists riffing off each other across time and space, trying to make sense of the world, one brushstroke at a time.