Cliff by the sea 1905

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis made this painting called "Cliff by the Sea" with oil on canvas, and I can imagine him working outside, looking out at the sea and feeling the breeze. He's used broad strokes of blue and green, lavender and grey, and the paint looks pretty thick, like he was really building up the surface. I wonder, what it might have been like to stand where he stood, trying to capture that vastness and stillness. What was he thinking when he chose those colors? I see how that cliff face is rendered with such gestural marks, the light, the shadow, the texture of the rock. The colors are not quite "realistic," but they convey a feeling, an emotional landscape that resonates with me. It’s hard to put into words how an artist makes decisions, it's all feeling and intuition... Ciurlionis reminds us that painting can be a way of seeing and feeling the world, where the brushstrokes themselves become a form of expression. He’s in conversation with all other painters, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time.