The image of the angel was a popular motif among symbolists. They were painted by Odilon Redon, Mikhail Vrubel, Gustave Moreau, Maurice Denis and others.

It is in the depiction of angels that Čiurlionis' free-mannered attitude to iconography becomes apparent. To him, the angel is not a creature from a specific religion, but rather a symbol of many meanings. At the same time, it is a reference to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, however, Čiurlionis does not specifically attach it to a certain tale, instead transforming it into an abstract symbol of sacrifice.

The angel in “Offering” is a mediator between heaven and earth as well as between God and man. It is responsible for making the decision to accept an offering or reject it. Standing at the very top of the stairs, it might also symbolize the highest point of human spiritual evolution.

The work of M. K. Čiurlionis caught the attention of the famous dancer Isadora Duncan. Once, long after his death, Duncan visited the artist's friend E. Morawski and was impressed by a reproduction of “Offering” hanging on the wall. Čiurlionis had painted it for his friend himself. Čiurlionis' sister, who had had the honour of seeing Duncan dancing, remembered how she came out to thank the audience for their applause and stood there on the stage with both hands stretched out and her head tilted to the side. A sight that bore no small resemblance to Čiurlionis' “Offering”.

"Offering" was exhibited at these exhibitions:

"From Amber to the Stars. Together with M. K. Čiurlionis: Now and Then" at M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas (Lithuania), March 21 - October 12, 2025;
"Beyond Heaven and Earth" at the Museum Belvédère in Heerenveen (Netherlands), February 24th – June 8th, 2024;
"M. K. Čiurlionis: Between Worlds" at Dulwich picture gallery, London (United Kingdom), September 21st, 2022 - March 12th, 2023;
"The Demon of Modernity – Visionary Painters at the Dawn of the Last Century" at the Moderna Gallery in Zagreb, Croatia, 30th June - 26th July, 2015;
"Angels and Demons. Figures of Modernity" at the Palazzo Roverella in Rovigo (Italy), 14th February - 14th June, 2015;
"M. K. Čiurlionis (1875-1911): Dreaming of Lithuania" at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent (Belgium), 21st September - 15th December, 2013;
"Čiurlionis. Esoteric Trip 1875-1911" at the Palazzo Reale in Milan (Italy), 13th November, 2010 - 13th February 13, 2011

The Demon of Modernity – Visionary Painters at the Dawn of the Last Century

The Demon of Modernity – Visionary Painters at the Dawn of the Last Century

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