On December 5, the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art in Kaunas opened an exhibition of twelve paintings by M. K. Čiurlionis, recreated in 3D format for the first time in Lithuania.
For these 12 paintings, 10-15% of the creation process was carried out using artificial intelligence, while 85-90% was carried out by graphic reproduction specialists who combined two different 3D programs. The result has two to five planes that form a 3D effect, immersing the viewer in the worlds of M. K. Čiurlionis.
The project presents paintings by M. K. Čiurlionis: “Serenity” (1904/5), “The News” (1904/5), painting VI from the cycle “Creation of the World” (1905/6), “Friendship” (1906/7), painting II from the triptych “The Fairy Tale” (1907), the Finale of “Sonata No. 5 (Sonata of the Sea) (1908), Allegro of Sonata No. 6 (Sonata of the Stars) (1908), The Fairy Tale (Castle Fairy Tale) (1909), Angel (Angel Prelude) (1909), Angels (Paradise) (1909), Rex (1909).
While looking at the paintings of M. K. Čiurlionis, one can only wonder what kind of artist he would be today – a defender of classical art traditions, or an innovator using new technology? Čiurlionis was interested in all fields that were new at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, both scientific and artistic: photography, the latest art (music and painting), theories of the formation of the cosmos and the planets, Egyptian exploration, psychology, cinema, and air travel. He was certainly exposed to cinema and airplanes, and it is safe to assume that he certainly would have followed all these changes closely.
Visitors are invited to view the differences between original paintings by M. K. Čiurlionis and reproductions, traditional paintings and paintings reproduced with modern technologies, and to reflect on the impact of technology on art.
The exhibition is curated by the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Arts, with financing from the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania and sponsorship by the Lions International organization Kaunas M. K. Čiurlionis club.
