Path to Kailas 1931

Nicholas Roerich painted this landscape in a very particular way, it looks to me like he used tempera to make it. Look at how the paint seems almost chalky and very matte in its appearance. There's no real shine or gloss to it, which gives the painting a kind of grounded, earthy feel. The brushstrokes are pretty visible too, especially in the sky, and you can see how Roerich layered the paint to build up the colour and texture. The mountains are simplified into these big shapes, like geometric forms, almost like an early modernist painting by someone like Cezanne. There’s an interesting contrast between the solidity of the mountains and the ethereal quality of the sky. It feels like looking at something ancient and timeless, but also very present and immediate. Like Agnes Martin or Hilma af Klint, Roerich used a simplified visual language to evoke a sense of spirituality and connection to nature. It’s about paring things down to their essence and finding the sublime in simplicity.