Forest 1907

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis made this forest from pigment, probably paint, maybe something else entirely, who knows? Look how Ciurlionis builds up this space. The trees aren't just green, they're dark, almost black, like shadows with crowns. There's this push and pull between what's solid and what's not, kind of like trying to remember a dream. I love how he handles the sky, a kind of dreamy indigo brushed with browns. This reminds me that art is about making things visible. Not just what we see, but what we feel, what we imagine. This forest has a lot in common with other Symbolist painters, like maybe Odilon Redon, or even some of the early Expressionists. They're all trying to get at something deeper, something beyond the surface of things. For Ciurlionis, art wasn't just about painting pictures, it was about creating a whole other world.