Capricorn 1907

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, born in Lithuania in 1875, made this mystical artwork, Capricorn, using a combination of techniques. Look at that palette! It's all soft blues, greys, and creams. I can imagine Ciurlionis layering these tones, allowing the painting to emerge through trial, error, and intuition. What was he thinking as he brushed these colors onto the surface, creating this ethereal scene with a figure atop a small island? I wonder if he felt a sense of isolation, perhaps a longing for connection, as he painted those solitary figures reaching towards the stars. There is a dialogue occurring between different forms of painting throughout art history, as artists inspire one another’s creativity across time. It embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings. This painting invites you to feel, to imagine, and to connect with the artist's inner world.