Polovets with bow 1943

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, called ‘Polovets with Bow’, with tempera, a fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium. The painting, wow, what a color! It's almost entirely orange, which could have been built up, layer after layer, until that strong horizon emerged. When you make a painting you sometimes have to consider how figures inhabit a space, right? What kind of relationship do they have with the earth and sky? Here, the archer’s gesture is so active and decisive, creating a dynamic relationship with the second figure, who seems more still. Maybe Roerich wanted to capture the contrast between action and stillness. I think he was interested in how figures could evoke a mood or feeling, as much as tell a story. Anyway, it’s a cool painting!