A steep snow slope 1924

Nicholas Roerich conjured this steep snow slope in shades of blue and purple. I imagine him building up the misty scene with thin washes of colour, one layer over another, allowing the peaks to emerge gradually from the canvas. It's as though Roerich sought to capture the intangible: light flickering across the snow, the crispness of the mountain air, the vastness of the landscape. I can imagine him pausing, brush in hand, contemplating the next stroke, deciding where to add a touch more pigment and where to let the surface breathe. That stark vertical form on the right—it seems to reach up into the sky, like a silent sentinel guarding the secrets of the mountains. It reminds me of Ryder's dark forms, and the visionary landscapes of Symbolist painters like Hodler. Ultimately, painting for me is about engaging in a conversation, where each brushstroke speaks to the next, where chance and intention dance together, and where the finished work becomes an invitation for others to join in the dialogue.