Rostov Veliky. Yard in the Kremlin. 1903

Nicholas Roerich painted "Rostov Veliky. Yard in the Kremlin." using oil paints, and what grabs me is the texture; it’s like he built the scene right onto the canvas. The paint is laid on thick, especially in the foreground, with these chunky strokes that give real weight to the architecture. Look at how the light catches the edges of each stroke, creating shadows that suggest a sun-drenched afternoon. There’s a beautiful contrast between the warm, earthy tones of the buildings and the cooler, darker passages in the courtyard. It feels like Roerich was really digging into the physicality of the paint, not trying to hide the process but rather making it a part of the story. This piece reminds me a bit of some early Cezanne, the way he was feeling his way around a subject, one blocky brushstroke at a time. Roerich isn’t trying to give us a perfect picture; he's inviting us to feel the weight and history of this place.