Solveig 1912

Here is the portrait 'Solveig' by Nicholas Roerich. You can see the artist has carefully picked out a palette of clean reds and bright yellows and blues that dance with the white of Solveig’s dress and headscarf. I wonder about the act of painting the figure itself. The artist probably started with some gestural marks to get a feel for the figure's pose and proportions. Maybe they worked on the face first, capturing her expression and features. I can imagine Roerich stepping back from the canvas, squinting to see the overall effect, adjusting the colors and values until they felt just right. Then adding the colourful details of the dress and jewellery. I admire how the piece relates to the artist's wider body of work. Many artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.