The Gates of Tmutarakan 1919

Nicholas Roerich, who painted from the late 19th century into the mid-20th, made this tempera painting, "The Gates of Tmutarakan," with a palette leaning toward reds, greens, and yellows. There's something about this painting that strikes me as both ancient and immediate. I imagine Roerich layering colors, almost building up the image like a fortress itself. The paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it’s anything other than paint. The way he’s handled the paint is so direct. The walls and turrets of the gate are rendered with a kind of confident simplicity, each brushstroke adding to the solidity of the structure. Look at the shadows cast on the hills – they’re not just dark; they’re almost characters themselves. It's like he’s inviting us to consider the dialogue between civilizations, how they rise, fall, and leave their mark on the landscape. We all borrow from each other, don't we? And these conversations across time, through painting, are some of the most interesting ones we have.