Sketch for Ladoga series 1917

This Sketch for Ladoga series was made with oil paint by Nicholas Roerich. The colours are quite flat, laid down in blocks, almost like big shapes cut from paper, and this gives the whole painting a very solid, almost monumental feel, a bit like looking at a stage set. The paint itself seems quite thin, maybe diluted with turpentine, so the surface is smooth and even. It’s interesting how Roerich uses this simplicity to create depth, with the blue mountains receding into the distance. And those rocks in the foreground! They’re like dark, brooding characters, each one carefully placed. I’m especially drawn to the way the light hits the top of the tallest rock, giving it a kind of crown. Roerich’s interest in landscape is interesting here, maybe he was inspired by artists like Edvard Munch who also captured that feeling of the sublime in nature. Ultimately, this painting is a conversation, an invitation to ponder the mysteries of the world.