Gemini 1907

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis made this dreamy image, Gemini, with watercolor on paper. The colors are dark and moody, mostly deep purples and blues, but then there's this bright, luminous glow in the center like a beacon. I imagine Ciurlionis layering the watercolor, letting it bleed and blend to create this atmospheric depth, maybe even tilting the paper to let the colors run in unexpected ways. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the paper, tentatively building up this strange, symmetrical form, this geometric architecture. Maybe he was thinking about constellations or spiritual realms, who knows! I think of Hilma af Klint, another artist exploring mystical themes through abstraction around the same time. It is as if both artists were tapping into something beyond the visible world, something felt rather than seen, and this painting became a vessel for those unseen emotions. These artists are in constant conversation with one another and, with us, across time.