Sonata No. 6 (Sonata of the Stars). Allegro. Andante

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis is a personality who was richly endowed with the talents of a composer, painter, writer and photographer, was, and still is, a prominent figure not only in Lithuanian art, but also in that of Europe. M. K. Čiurlionis lived and worked at the turn of the 20th century, when new movements in art were forming. In his works he expressed the ideas and themes, which exited people then, and still do today. He also searched for answers to the common questions of human existence. Based on the folk creative mentality, enriched by his interest in different philosophical and religious theories, which were so popular in the Fin-de-Siecle Europe, M. K. Čiurlionis’ art embraced the aspirations of person, nation and epoch. M. K. Čiurlionis painted seven pictorial sonatas. The artist named them by numbers (the literal titles were adapted later). His pictorial sonatas can be associated with a theory of synesthesia, the fusion of music and art. M. K. Čiurlionis’ pictorial sonatas embody an original approach to the issues of synesthesia. The artist applied to paintings principles of the musical composition, which have associations with the structure of musical forms (such as sonata, fugue or prelude). He united various motifs from reality, different spatial levels and moments in time, as well as contrasting symbolic images into a single compositional system (cycle), based on the dynamics of the rhythm . “Sonata of the Stars. Allegro” is an artistic vision of outer space. In this sonata the viewer is exposed to fantastical multi-layered images. All of the compositional elements in the painting are arranged in a complex rhythm of different variations. Portrayal of the third dimension no longer uses the perspective of space, instead opting for overlays of varying opacity. M. K. Čiurlionis envisions the universe as a magnificent polyphonic symphony of intertwining cosmic mists, stars and sunlight. The waves of this ocean of space – the melodies – eddy and weave past each other, forming a rich, ornamented and splendid web pierced by the path of the Milky Way. The movement in outer space is not chaotic, but rhythmical and harmonious. The symbol of the order and harmony of the Universe is envisioned as the bright figure of an angel standing on a tapering tower of light. The second part of the sonata (“Andante”) is just as solemn and monumental, but much more restrained: a few bands of cosmic mist veil the spherical mass of a still planet, perhaps Earth itself, and an angel steps slowly across the band of the Milky Way, creating the impression of serene and magnificent music. This is one of the artist's most musical creations, full of the wonderful interplay of colours, a variety of rhythms and a powerful imagination.