Scherzo (Sonata of the Serpent) 1908

Editor: Right now, we’re looking at "Scherzo (Sonata of the Serpent)" by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, created around 1908 using mixed media like watercolour and coloured pencil. The whole piece has this dreamy, ethereal quality, and I’m really drawn to the reflected architecture and the muted colour palette. It feels symbolic, but I'm not sure what it's trying to tell me. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Ah, Ciurlionis! A synaesthetic genius. He didn’t just paint; he composed. "Scherzo," with its title nodding to music, embodies that perfectly. For me, it’s all about liminal spaces – those in-between realms. The architecture reflects not just on the water, but within the soul, doesn’t it? It’s solid, yet ghostly, reminding us that everything tangible holds an echo of the intangible. Editor: The reflection is definitely what first caught my eye. So you’re saying it’s meant to evoke something beyond what’s literally depicted? Curator: Precisely! Look at the "serpent" implied in the title. Not a literal snake, but perhaps the twisting currents of life, of music, of spirituality. Ciurlionis lived in a time ripe with symbolism. He wanted to translate the unseen world into visual form. It’s an intensely personal mythology, really. Almost like a landscape of his own mind. What do you feel when you let your gaze drift over it? Editor: It’s kind of calming actually, even with the slightly strange architecture. It feels like a still moment, like the pause between musical notes. Curator: A breath held, yes! A prelude, perhaps, to a greater symphony. A glimpse behind the curtain… Or maybe it’s all just a beautiful dream conjured by a soul attuned to the whispers of the universe. It's different every time, which is the magic of it, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely! I feel like I'm walking away with more questions than answers, but somehow that’s exactly what makes it so compelling. Thanks!