Moses the Leader 1926

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of Moses, the leader, in oil on canvas, and it feels both ancient and otherworldly. The whole scene is bathed in cool blues and purples, offset by the green of the aurora borealis. It looks like the kind of light you could almost swim in. Roerich's handling of the paint is interesting, it's pretty thin and washy, but the texture of the canvas still shows through. Look closely at the mountains in the foreground, you can see the brushstrokes, and it feels like he built them up with layers of color, like geological strata. The figure of Moses has a lot of gestural impact, standing on the peak of one of the mountains with his arms outstretched. The figure really adds to the sublime drama. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint, who was also interested in spiritual themes. Like her, Roerich embraces ambiguity, inviting us to ponder the mysteries of existence and our place in the cosmos.