Himalayas 1939

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, "Himalayas," with what looks like quick, decisive strokes of oil paint. It's all about blues and whites, mixed to give you that chilly mountain air feeling. Looking closely, you can almost feel the texture of the snow and rock. The paint isn’t super thick, but it's not trying to hide its brushstrokes. The way he drags the blue across the lower slopes gives the painting a real sense of depth. It's like you could ski right down into it! I'm really drawn to the dark blue peak on the left; it grounds the whole scene. Roerich's whole body of work explores these kinds of spiritual landscapes; they're like visual meditations. It makes me think a little of Lawren Harris's paintings of the Canadian arctic. Both artists use simplified forms and a cool palette to capture the sublime power of nature, but Roerich has his own unique vibe. The beauty of art is, it can hold so many different feelings at once, right?