The saviour over the door 1913

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, "The Saviour Over the Door", and it just glows with the feel of an old master. The way Roerich handles the paint, it feels less like representation and more like an invocation. I see the intense gaze of the saviour, framed by these ethereal clouds and angelic figures, and I imagine Roerich in the act of painting, layering each stroke with intention. Painting, for me, is about touch, the physical dance between the brush and the canvas. I wonder what it was like for Roerich, mixing those hues of gold and blue, feeling the weight of the brush in his hand as he built up the textures that give this work its otherworldly quality. It makes me think about Byzantine art and icons, and how so many painters are in dialogue, each riffing off the past to make something new, or in this case maybe something old, but renewed.