Guardians of the Night 1940

This landscape painting of jagged blue mountains under a night sky was made by Nicholas Roerich. I wonder how many layers of colour he worked into those rocky peaks, each one built up slowly, intuitively, in his studio. I love the way the cool blues and purples give a sense of stillness, of a silent world. It makes me think of other painters, like Lawren Harris and his austere arctic landscapes. You know, sometimes, when I'm in my studio, I start with one colour and then another just appears, and another, until something emerges that I didn't plan. I bet it was the same for Roerich. Look at how the brushstrokes suggest the cold, crisp air, the quiet majesty of these natural giants standing guard under the stars. We’re all in conversation, right? Roerich to Harris, and then to me, and now to you. It’s a reminder that painting is an ongoing, evolving language.