The scene with three figures in costumes 1920

This scene with three figures in costumes was made by Nicholas Roerich, it is not clear when. What strikes me is the process that he used to render such detail. It’s like he worked and reworked these figures with a fine point pen or pencil, going over lines to build up texture and definition. Look closely at the figure on the left. The way the lines create the impression of weight, particularly in the folds of the cloak and the brim of the hat. I like the mark making. There is something about the density of the lines, some dense areas where it’s almost solid black. It’s not exactly chiaroscuro. Roerich isn't just depicting light and shadow, but building up a kind of symbolic weight or presence to each figure. Roerich was a theosophist and mystic. This piece seems in line with that because it’s all about the inner world, and the multiple ways we can read and interpret it. Like Hilma af Klint, Roerich had a spiritual approach to artmaking that embraced ambiguity.