Vignette for book "N. K. Roerich" 1918

This vignette for N. K. Roerich’s book, made by Roerich himself, uses stark contrast to create a scene that’s both clear and mysterious. Looking at this piece, I’m struck by how the solid black shapes define the figures and their instruments, leaving the white to suggest light and space. The texture created by the dense patterns on the figures’ clothing and the rough strokes indicating the landscape, gives a tactile quality to what is otherwise a very flat image. It’s like Roerich is inviting us to feel the weight and sound of the trumpets, to imagine the cool air of the scene. The way the trumpets overlap and point in different directions creates a sense of depth and movement. It’s like a visual fanfare, and the solid black and white contrast makes me think of other printmakers like, say, Emil Nolde, who also used this technique to create images that are both powerful and deeply spiritual. But it doesn’t resolve into a single meaning, does it? It’s that ambiguity that keeps me looking.