Sorrow (I) 1907

Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis made *Sorrow (I)* with paint, probably in the early 1900s. Looking at this painting, I imagine Ciurlionis layering pale washes, building up these moody but soft colours. See how the ochre sun hangs low over the horizon line. It makes me wonder, was he feeling a sense of melancholy, staring out at the sea? Then my eye snags on those dark, dagger-like forms in the foreground. What are they? Maybe he was thinking about the sharpness of loss, using those forms to stab our attention. Or are they simply the silhouettes of trees against the fading light? I like how Ciurlionis lets ambiguity sit right there on the surface, allowing for this play of meaning. Like other painters, he is feeling his way through feeling, leaving traces for us to pick up on, and make our own.