Himalayas. Mountains lit by sunset. 1941

This watercolor landscape, Himalayas. Mountains lit by sunset, was painted by Nicholas Roerich. I imagine he began with thin washes of sunset hues—mauve, orange, and ochre—to capture the quiet moment when the day gives way to night. Roerich might have been thinking about what it felt like to be dwarfed by these majestic peaks. The paint is quite thin, allowing the paper to breathe. Look at how the peaks are bathed in a golden, almost spiritual light. He captures the sharp, jagged edges of the mountains with decisive strokes, juxtaposing them against the soft, diffused glow of the sky. I can sense the cool air and the stillness of the high altitude. Roerich’s Himalayas remind me of Agnes Martin’s quiet grids—both find transcendence in nature. The experience of painting is, for both artists, a conversation across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. We, as viewers, are invited to bring our own experiences to the piece and embrace uncertainty, allowing for multiple readings.