Genghis Khan 1945

Here's Nicholas Roerich's painting of Genghis Khan, and I see him rendered with thin, washy layers of oil or tempera on canvas, which gives the scene an ethereal, otherworldly quality. The artist has constructed the image with smooth, flat planes of color. I'm picturing Roerich layering thin washes of paint, building up the composition slowly, letting each layer dry before adding the next, maybe in one of his studios, with the window open. He’s got the yellow ochre of the hillside broken up with those cool, grey rocks. The figure and the horse seem small and vulnerable in this majestic landscape. Roerich seems to be thinking about Chinese painting traditions, and I'm reminded of other landscape painters, like Lawren Harris, also interested in spiritual themes and landscape. Painters are always in conversation, and it's through that conversation that we learn and grow. Roerich’s painting invites us to contemplate the relationship between humanity and nature, the ephemeral and the eternal, offering a space for reflection and introspection, and leaving a lasting impression on our imagination.