Karelian landscape. Tulola rocks. 1918

Nicholas Roerich painted 'Karelian Landscape. Tulola rocks' using, what looks like, oil paint, in a really direct and honest way. You can almost feel him layering the paint, one stroke at a time. The texture of the rocks, that mossy-ness, is built up through these deliberate marks. See that purple hue dominating the rocks? It’s not just a color choice, it’s a mood, right? A kind of serene coolness. The brushwork isn't trying to hide anything. Each stroke feels like a decision, laying bare the process of seeing and responding. Roerich reminds me of Marsden Hartley, in the way they both capture a specific sense of place through simplified forms. But where Hartley can be a bit more brooding, Roerich finds a quieter kind of awe. It’s like he's saying, "Here are rocks. Aren't they something?"