The saints have gone - leave Gleb as keeper 1920

Nicholas Roerich made *The saints have gone - leave Gleb as keeper* with paint on canvas at an unknown date. The paint is applied in flat, graphic planes, in warm reds and yellows against a midnight black sky. Look closely, and you'll see how the city is built up with simple, almost childlike forms, and these simple forms make up a more complex vision. I’m drawn to the little golden sun in the upper-left corner, like a cosmic pat of butter, shining down on the scene. The texture of the paint is smooth, which almost gives the appearance of a print rather than a painting. This flatness contrasts with the depth of the narrative and the symbolic weight of the image. This work resonates with the visionary art of Hilma af Klint, who also explored spiritual themes with a unique symbolic language. Ultimately, *The saints have gone* invites us to consider the unseen forces that shape our world and the role of art in making these forces visible.