The unspilling vessel 1927

This striking mountain scene by Nicholas Roerich is all about the power of simplified forms. The mountains are built from large planes of colour, an icy blue that feels both inviting and forbidding. It's easy to imagine Roerich applying the paint in broad, confident strokes. The paint looks like it has been applied in smooth, opaque layers, and there's a sense of control in how each form meets another with minimal blending. Look at the way the figure in the foreground is defined by a bright yellow cloak that provides a focal point and warms the cooler palette. There's a stillness to this painting, but it comes from the simple shapes and the contrast between the colours. Like the work of Marsden Hartley, it makes you wonder about the sublime, but with a pared down symbolic language, and the physical presence of paint is less prominent, maybe even repressed. In the end it's all about the idea, a place for contemplation.