“Sparks” is one of the first cycles dedicated to the theme of nature. The series draws closer to abstraction because it depicts a generalized portrait of nature as opposed to a specific landscape.

The artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius recalls in his memoirs how Čiurlionis and his brothers travelled up the Nemunas River to the town of Jurbarkas. One moment from this trip could be reflected in the “Sparks” series: “I opened my eyes. Circular stars rolled high up across our path in a mist. Gliding past each other, some up, some down, in fabulous whirlpools of mist. They were being scattered by a surging black dragon. The air was filled with the sounds of a midnight symphony. Either side of us, giant pillars supported the sky. And this was but the noise of a night train speeding across the railway bridge. What a delight!” (Žmuidzinavičius, A. “Žiupsnelis atsiminimų”. M.K. Čiurlionis. Ed. P. Galaunė. Kaunas: Vytautas Magnus Culture Museum, M.K. Čiurlionis Gallery, Vol. No. 9., 1938. 79)

The cycle "Sparks" was exhibited at these exhibitions:

• “M. K. Čiurlionis: The Inner Constellation” at the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, (Japan), March 28th – June 14th, 2026;
• "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 Wild Souls: Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States” at the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius (Lithuania), 10th July - 27th September, 2020;
• “The Wild Souls: Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States” at the KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn (Estonia), 12th October, 2018 - 3rd February, 2019