Raigardas (II) 1907

Curator: Let's take a look at Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis' "Raigardas (II)", created in 1907 using oil paints. What are your immediate impressions? Editor: It feels so still. Serene, but in a way that makes me a little uneasy, like a fairytale paused at the most suspenseful moment. All that green. Curator: Interesting observation. The uniformity of green really underscores Ciurlionis' connection to both symbolism and modernism, wouldn't you say? Considering how he layers these planes—the near field with the groupings of trees and what appears to be a stream, moving into agricultural plots, a thick band of forest and that subtle ridge in the distance—one can see the way landscapes are used as formal elements but also to hint at unseen worlds. Editor: Absolutely. It's not just a picture, is it? The textures especially...they have a very rhythmic quality to them that almost pushes the canvas. There's something about those clumps of trees— they’re looming, and then softened. You have all these manmade structures within it but still you are grounded within something entirely natural. There's very minimal work done by the painter in delineating the planes--which creates something really special for us. It becomes less of a picture to behold and more a question to engage with. Curator: Exactly! Thinking about his wider body of work we often find themes of spirituality and mysticism – and this piece echoes some of those recurring concerns. You can think about it this way: consider what green signifies traditionally – life, fertility, renewal...and notice how it all comes back to labor. What the laborers did to the fields at this time and how artifice can come from the natural-- which speaks to how land informs the economy and people’s livelihoods in Lithuanian communities at this time. Editor: What an astute observation. It really is this kind of relationship with the land that brings it all together...that uncanny stillness I noticed earlier. There is harmony with nature. Perhaps this stillness isn't the kind I'm used to but it comes as a revelation rather than fear... like all you had to do was let it sit in order to fully experience it for yourself. Curator: I agree! Thinking about it as a moment for introspection...the layers in Ciurlionis' piece certainly resonate long after you've walked away from it. Editor: It definitely haunts the imagination, yes!