Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis ( pl, Mikołaj Konstanty Czurlanis – ) was a Lithuanian painter, composer and writer.
Čiurlionis contributed to
symbolism
Symbolism or symbolist may refer to:
Arts
* Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism
** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries
** Russian sym ...
and
art nouveau, and was representative of the
fin de siècle
() is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context, ...
epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of
abstract art in Europe. During his short life, he composed about 400 pieces of music and created about 300 paintings, as well as many literary works and poems. The majority of his paintings are housed in the
M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum in
Kaunas, Lithuania. His works have had a profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture.
Biography
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was born in
Senoji Varėna, a town in southeastern Lithuania that at the time was in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. He was the oldest of nine children of his father, Konstantinas, and his mother, Adelė née Radmanaitė (Radmann), who was descended from a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
family of
Bavarian origin. Like many educated Lithuanians of the time, Čiurlionis's family spoke
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
, and he began learning
Lithuanian only after meeting his fiancée in 1907.
[ In 1878, his family moved to ]Druskininkai
Druskininkai (; pl, Druskieniki; be, Друскенiкi; yi, דרוזגעניק, translit=Druzgenik) is a spa town on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population ...
, away, where his father went on to be the town organist.
Čiurlionis was a musical prodigy
A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain to the level of an adult expert performer. This is a list of young children (under age 10) who displayed a ...
: he could play by ear at age three and could sight-read music freely by age seven. Three years out of primary school, he went to study at the musical school of Polish Prince Michał Ogiński in Plungė, where he learned to play several instruments, in particular the flute, from 1889 to 1893. Supported by Prince Ogiński's 'scholarship' Čiurlionis studied piano and composition
Composition or Compositions may refer to:
Arts and literature
*Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography
*Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
at Warsaw Conservatory
The Chopin University of Music ( pl, Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe. from 1894 to 1899. For his graduation, in 1899, he wrote a cantata for mixed chorus and symphonic orchestra titled ''De Profundis'', with the guidance of the composer Zygmunt Noskowski
Zygmunt Noskowski (2 May 1846 – 23 July 1909) was a Polish composer, conductor, and teacher.
Biography
Noskowski was born in Warsaw and was originally trained at the Warsaw Conservatory studying violin and composition with Stanisław Moni ...
. Later he attended composition lectures at the Leipzig Conservatory
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...
from 1901 to 1902.
He returned to Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
in 1902 and studied drawing at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts from 1904 to 1906, and became a friend with Polish composer and painter Eugeniusz Morawski-Dąbrowa. His main teacher in Warsaw was symbolist painter Kazimierz Stabrowski
Kazimierz Stabrowski (November 21, 1869, Kruplyany – June 10, 1929, Garwolin) was a Polish painter, and director of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He also founded the first lodges of the Theosophical Society in Poland.Karolina Maria Hess ...
, who was also the founder of the first lodges of the Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875, is a worldwide body with the aim to advance the ideas of Theosophy in continuation of previous Theosophists, especially the Greek and Alexandrian Neo-Platonic philosophers dating back to 3rd century CE ...
in Poland and passed to Čiurlionis an interest in Theosophy and other esoteric subjects. After the 1905 Russian Revolution, which resulted in the loosening of cultural restrictions on the Empire's minorities, he began to identify himself as a Lithuanian.
He was one of the initiators of, and a participant in, the First Exhibition of Lithuanian Art
The Lithuanian Art Society ( lt, Lietuvių dailės draugija) was a society that organized Lithuanians, Lithuanian art exhibitions and supported List of Lithuanian artists, Lithuanian artists. Based in Vilnius (then part of the Russian Empire), it ...
in 1907 at Vileišis Palace
Vileišis Palace is a Neo-baroque style architectural ensemble in Vilnius, Lithuania, built for Petras Vileišis. Vileišis was a prominent Lithuanian engineer, political activist, publisher, and philanthropist who commissioned the palace in 19 ...
, Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. Soon after this event, the Lithuanian Art Society
The Lithuanian Art Society ( lt, Lietuvių dailės draugija) was a society that organized Lithuanians, Lithuanian art exhibitions and supported List of Lithuanian artists, Lithuanian artists. Based in Vilnius (then part of the Russian Empire), it ...
was founded, and Čiurlionis was one of its 19 founding members.
In 1907, he became acquainted with Sofija Kymantaitė
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has ...
(1886–1958), an art critic. Through this association, Čiurlionis learned to speak better Lithuanian. Early in 1909, he married Kymantaitė. At the end of that year, he traveled to St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, where he exhibited some of his paintings. On Christmas Eve, Čiurlionis fell into a profound depression and at the beginning of 1910 was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...
"Czerwony Dwór" (Red Manor) in Marki, Poland, northeast of Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
. While a patient there, he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
in 1911 at 35 years of age. He was buried at the Rasos Cemetery
Rasos Cemetery ( lt, Rasų kapinės, pl, cmentarz Na Rossie, be, Могілкі Росы) is the oldest and most famous cemetery in the city of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is named after the Rasos district where it is located. It is separated in ...
in Vilnius. He never saw his daughter Danutė (1910–1995).
Čiurlionis felt that he was a synesthete; that is, he perceived colours and music simultaneously. Many of his paintings bear the names of musical pieces: sonatas, fugues, and preludes.
Posthumous recognition
After Čiurlionis's death in 1911, the Russian critic (transliterated as Tschoudowsky in English) wrote: Now that he is dead, the authors of the spiritual revival of Lithuania present Ciurlionis ''(sic)'' as a national artist. It is not for us to judge; however his extraordinary independence of all contemporary art leads one to believe that he was really created by the hidden forces of his people; and it is well for us to be able to believe that this singular genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...
does not merely represent a chance caprice of fate
Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual.
Fate
Although often ...
, but is the precursor of a future sublime Lithuanian art. When I think of him, an idea imposes itself on my mind: the Lithuanian people had no Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, perhaps it has preserved intact until the 20th century, even better than we Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
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, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
, the immense energy of mystic life inherited from the Arians
Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...
which our Western brothers have so prodigally squandered in their Middle Ages.
In 1911, the first posthumous exhibition of Čiurlionis's art was held in Vilnius and Kaunas. During the same year, an exhibition of his art was held in Moscow, and in 1912 his works were exhibited in St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. In 1944, the main art museum in Kaunas was renamed M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum and still hosts the majority of Čiurlionis paintings. In 1957, the Lithuanian community in Chicago opened the Čiurlionis Art Gallery, hosting collections of his works. In 1963, the Čiurlionis Memorial Museum was opened in Druskininkai
Druskininkai (; pl, Druskieniki; be, Друскенiкi; yi, דרוזגעניק, translit=Druzgenik) is a spa town on the Nemunas River in southern Lithuania, close to the borders of Belarus and Poland. The city of Druskininkai has a population ...
, in the house where Čiurlionis and his family lived. This museum holds biographical documents as well as photographs and reproductions of the artist's works. The National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius was named after him in 1965.
Čiurlionis inspired the Lithuanian composer Osvaldas Balakauskas
Osvaldas Jonas Balakauskas (born December 19, 1937 in Miliūnai) is a Lithuanian composer of classical music and diplomat.
Career
Balakauskas graduated from Vilnius Pedagogical University in 1961. After his mandatory service in the Soviet Arm ...
' work ''Sonata of the Mountains'' (1975), and every four years junior musical performers from Lithuania and neighboring countries take part in the Čiurlionis Competition.
Čiurlionis's works have been displayed at international exhibitions in Japan, Germany, Spain, and elsewhere. His paintings were featured at "Visual Music" fest, an homage to synesthesia that included the works of Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...
, James McNeill Whistler, and Paul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented ...
, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) is a contemporary art museum with two locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near the Walt Disney Concert Hall. MOCA's ...
in 2005.Visual Music, 13 February through 22 May 2005, MOCA Grand Avenue
In 2009, Genovaitė Kazokas () published ''Musical Paintings'', a book where she argued that
Theosophy
Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...
,
esotericism
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
and
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and Mind-body dualism, dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (w ...
were important influences on Čiurlionis’ art.
[See Kazokas, Genovaitė (2009), ''Musical Paintings: Life and Work of M. K. Čiurlionis (1875–1911)'', Vilnius: Logotipas.]
A commemorative plaque has been placed on the building of the former hospital in
Marki, Poland where Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis died in 1911.
Čiurlionis's life was depicted in the 2012 film ''
Letters to Sofija'', directed by
Robert Mullan.
Musical works
The precise number of Čiurlionis musical compositions is not known – a substantial part of his manuscripts did not survive, including those that perished in the fire during the war. The ones available for us today include sketches, rough drafts, and fragments of his musical ideas. The nature of the archive determined the fact that Čiurlionis' works were finally published only a hundred years after the composer's death. Today, the archive amounts to almost 400 compositions, the major part of which are works for piano, but also significant opuses for
symphony orchestra (symphonic poems ''In the Forest'' and ''The Sea'', overture, cantata for choir and orchestra), string quartet, works for various choirs (original compositions and Lithuanian folk song arrangements), as well as works for organ.
Some of his most-performed musical works include:
Orchestral
*''Miške'' (''In the Forest''), symphonic poem for orchestra (1901; published posthumously)
*''Kęstutis'', Symphonic Overture (1902; piano score survives, orchestrated by Robertas Šervenikas)
*''Jūra'' (''The Sea''), symphonic poem for orchestra (1907; published posthumously)
*''Pasaulio sutvėrimas'' (''The Creation of the World''), Symphonic Poem (c. 1907; reconstructed by Arvydas Malcys)
*''Dies Irae'', Symphonic Poem (c. 1910, reconstructed by Giedrius Kuprevičius)
Choral
*Folk songs for choir
De Profundis, for choir and orchestrah2>
Chamber music
String Quartet in C minorh2>
Piano
Nocturne in C-sharp minorPrelude in B-flat minorPrelude in F-sharp majorNocturne in F minorImpromptu in F-sharp minorPrelude in A major*Prelude in D flat major
Fugue in B minor*''Karalaitės kelionė: Pasaka'' (''The Princess's Journey: A Fairy Tale'')
Organ
*Seven fugues for organ (Fugue in G minor)
Paintings
Some of the most popular
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis paintings include:
*''The Gift of Friendship'' (1906)
*Cycle ''Winter'' (1906–1907)
*Cycle ''The Zodiac'' (1907)
*''Sonatas'' (1907–1908)
*Cycle ''Fairy-Tale'' (1909)
* ''Creation of the World''
* ''Sonata of the Spring'' (1907)
* ''Sonata of the Summer'' (1908)
* ''Sonata of the Sun'' (1907)
* ''Sonata of the Sea'' (1908)
* ''Sonata of the Pyramids'' (1908)
* ''
Stellar Sonata'' (1908)
* ''Sonata of the Serpent'' (1908)
* Diptych ''Prelude and Fugue'' (1908)
* Triptych ''Fantasy'' (1908)
* Other Preludes and Fugues
** ''Winter'' – Cycle of Eight Pictures (1906–07)
** ''Spring'' – Four Pictures (1907–08)
** ''Summer'' – Cycle of Three Pictures (1907–08)
Gallery
File:Laivas.Debesys.jpg, Cloud Boat (1906)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - ANDANTE (IV) - 1908.jpg, Andante - IV (1908)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CLIFF AT THE SEASIDE - 1905, Anapa.jpg, Cliff at the Seaside (1905)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - BRIDGES - 1904 - 5, Varsuva.jpg, Bridges (1904)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - ANGEL (ANGEL PRELUDE) - 1909.jpg, Angel (1908)
File:Пирамиды.tif, Pyramids (1908)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CREATION OF THE WORLD (II) - 1905 - 6, Varsuva.jpg, Creation of the World - II (1905–06)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CREATION OF THE WORLD (III) - 1905 - 6, Varsuva.jpg, Creation of the World - III (1905–06)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CREATION OF THE WORLD (V) - 1905 - 6, Varsuva.jpg, Creation of the World - V (1905)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CREATION OF THE WORLD (VI) - 1905 - 6, Varsuva.jpg, Creation of the World - VI (1905–06)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - CREATION OF THE WORLD (VII) - 1905 - 6, Varsuva.jpg, Creation of the World - VII (1905–06)
File:Pasaulio sutverimas XII.jpg, Creation of the World - XII (1906-1907)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - ANDANTE (Sonata II) - 1907, Druskininkai.jpg, Sonata - II (1907)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FINALE (I) - 1908.jpg, Sonata of the Sea. ''Finale'' (1908)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FINALE (III) - 1908.jpg, Finale - III (1908)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FAIRY TALE (I) - 1907.jpg, Fairy Tale - I (1907)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FAIRY TALE (III) - 1907.jpg, Fairy Tale - III (1907)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FOREST - 1907.jpg, Forest (1907)
File:Praeitis.jpg, The Past (1907)
File:Zodiakas.Avinas.jpg, The Zodiac cycle - Aries (1907)
File:Morning. Fantasy.jpg, Morning Fantasy (1904)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FRIENDSHIP - 1906 - 7.jpg, The Gift of Friendship (1906)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - ANGELS (PARADISE) - 1909.jpg, Paradise (1909)
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - EVENING - 1907.jpg, Evening (1907)
File:Сельское кладбище.tif, Rural Cemetery (1909)
Family
Mikalojus had two brothers: (1887-1944), (1891-1955) and a sister (1898-1992).
See also
*
List of things named after Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis
*
Rokas Zubovas
Rokas Zubovas (born 31 July 1966) is a Lithuanian pianist.
While still a student at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, Zubovas won the VI Inter-Republical Čiurlionis competition, ex-aequo with Moldovan pianist Ina Chatipova. He continued his studie ...
References
Further reading
* Andriušytė-Žukienė Rasute. 2002. ''The Art of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: At the Junction of Two Epochs''. Vilnius: Organisation Committee Frankfurt.
* Andriušytė-Žukienė, Rasute. 2004. ''M.K. Čiurlionis: Tarp Simbolizmo ir Modernizmo''.Vilnius: Versus Aureus.
* Čiurlionytė, Jadwyga. 1973. ''Atsiminimai apie M. K. Čiurlionį''. Vilnius: Vaga.
* Goštautas, Stasys with Birutė Vaičjurgis-Šležas, editors. 1994. ''Čiurlionis: Painter and Composer. Collected Essays and Notes, 1906–1989.'' Vilnius: Vaga.
* Kazokas, Genovaitė. 2009. ''Musical Paintings: Life and Work of M. K. Čiurlionis (1875–1911)''. Vilnius: Logotipas.
* Rannit, Aleksis. 1984. ''M.K. Čiurlionis: Lithuanian Visionary Painter''. Chicago: Lithuanian Library Press.
* Užukauskaitė, Lina. 2019. ''Ein ikonisches Paar: Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ Briefe an Sofija''. In: ''Liebesgeschichte(n): Identität und Diversität vom 18. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert''. Hg. v. Frank Becker und Elke Reinhardt- Becker. Frankfurt am Main, New York: Campus, 131-149. ISBN 9783593510293
* Vorobjov, Nikolai. 1938. ''M.K. Čiurlionis, der litauisches Maler und Musiker.'' Kaunas and Leipzig: Verlag Pribačis.
External links
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: Life, Paintings, MusicBiography at the Lithuanian Music Information and Publishing Centre*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciurlionis, Mikalojus Konstantinas
1875 births
1911 deaths
19th-century classical composers
19th-century Lithuanian painters
19th-century male musicians
20th-century classical composers
20th-century Lithuanian painters
20th-century male musicians
Lithuanian classical composers
Lithuanian people of German descent
Male classical composers
Romantic composers
Art Nouveau painters
Symbolist painters
Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw alumni
Chopin University of Music alumni
People from Troksky Uyezd
People from Varėna District Municipality
Pupils of Salomon Jadassohn
Burials at Rasos Cemetery
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