Sea etude 1905

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis painted this sea etude with what looks like oil paint, and a whole lot of intuitive feeling. The colours are muted, almost like faded memories. There's something really compelling in how he's captured the movement of the water with these short, choppy strokes. You can feel the physicality of the medium, especially in the way the light bounces off the textured surface. Look at that horizon line, how it’s not perfectly straight, but wavering, almost breathing, and that one little dab of dark blue on the horizon. This one gesture opens up the whole painting. Ciurlionis, like other artists such as Edvard Munch, was interested in the relationship between sound and colour. Maybe that’s why this piece has such a strong musicality, like a quiet, melancholic melody. Art, after all, is just one big conversation between us all.