Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis: Painting Music, Hearing Color

Lithuanian composer and painter Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911) created over 200 paintings in just eight years, many housed at the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art in Kaunas. He pioneered a synesthetic approach, incorporating musical theory into visual art. His series 'Sonata of the Sun' (1907) and 'Sonata of the Sea' (1908) follow classical sonata structures—Allegro, Andante, Scherzo, Finale—translating tempo and repetition into pictorial motifs. In 'Rustling of the Forest' (1904), trees function as harp strings moved by wind. 'Fugue' (1908) visually mimics contrapuntal musical technique with layered tree and city silhouettes. Čiurlionis died at 35 from pneumonia after mental burnout, receiving posthumous recognition. The article is written in cooperation with the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum by employee Greta Katkeviciene.