The Elders Wearing Bear Hides 1944

Nicholas Roerich's *The Elders Wearing Bear Hides* presents a world where representation feels more like a memory, or a dream. The colours are muted, chalky almost, giving the impression of pigment rubbed onto the surface with a finger. There's a rawness here. The paint is applied in blocks of colour, and the composition is built up like a collage of shapes. The mountains in the background aren’t trying to mimic nature, but rather suggest it. It’s as if Roerich is more interested in the idea of a mountain than in painting a realistic one. Look at the bears; they're not overly detailed. Roerich focuses on the essence of the bear, its hulking form and primal energy. There’s a directness and simplicity to his lines that remind me of folk art, or even children's drawings. I think of Marsden Hartley, who also had this interest in folk traditions and simplified forms. Both artists seem to be after something deeper than surface appearances. They use a kind of visual shorthand to get at the spiritual or emotional core of their subjects, and create spaces for open interpretation.