M.K. Čiurlionis: The Unsigned Symbolist and His Hidden Ciphers

Key facts

• M. K. Čiurlionis (1875–1911) rarely signed his paintings; only two works carry his signature: Allegro from Sonata No. 4 (Sonata of the Summer) and Finale of the Sonata No. 5 (Sonata of the Sea).
• In Allegro from Sonata No. 4 (1907), his initials MKČ are on an altar in the bottom right corner, and his fiancée’s initials SK are hidden in the bridges connecting mountains, possibly referencing their engagement in Palanga, Lithuania.
• A flying bird symbol, similar to the accent on Č, is believed by some to be another form of his signature, found in works like Allegro of Sonata No. 1 (Sonata of the Sun) and Fairytale (Castle’s Fairytale).
• Researcher Rima Povilionienė suggests that nine symbols on an altar in Finale from Sonata No. 3 (Sonata of the Serpent, 1908) spell “Czurlanis,” a Polish version of his surname.
• Geometric symbols—triangle, circle, and square—appeared in his works from 1908 and had various meanings: triangle for human body or number 3, circle for mind or heaven or number 1, square for Earth or number 2.
• Povilionienė argues these shapes may also form a signature, as in his ex libris drawing where circle and triangle surround the letter K, potentially representing M, K, and Č.
• Čiurlionis created ciphered alphabets with his brothers, and his letters, such as one to Povilas Čiurlionis in 1905, were written in Polish, his first language.
• The triptych Rex (1904/1905) contains three symbols interpreted as R-E-X, and Zodiac signs used as month names appear in Finale of Sonata II (Sonata of the Spring, 1907).
• An undeciphered cipher (Čg 22 p. 1, 1900s) is thought to be a quote, possibly from a Polish author.
• Many of these works are housed at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum in Kaunas, Lithuania.