The city 1908

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis made this painting, "The City," at an unknown date, using an unknown medium on canvas. It’s all about atmosphere, right? This painting feels like a memory or a dream, something not quite solid. Look at how Ciurlionis builds up the image with these wispy layers of grey, pale blue and white. The brushstrokes are so soft they almost dissolve into the canvas. It feels less about rendering a specific place and more about capturing a mood, a feeling of longing or maybe just quiet contemplation. I keep coming back to that central tower, how it seems to emerge from the mist, but also how it fades back into it. It’s like a metaphor for the way we perceive things, how they come into focus and then slip away again. Ciurlionis reminds me a little of Odilon Redon; both were interested in the symbolic possibilities of color and form, using them to evoke inner states rather than to describe the external world. "The City" isn’t just a place; it’s a state of mind, an invitation to get lost in the haze.