City 1907

Nicholas Roerich painted "City", likely with tempera or watercolor, and what strikes me is its immediacy; it feels like a sketch, quick and direct. There's a gentleness to the color palette, mostly blues and grays, which creates a serene atmosphere. The textures are smooth and the lines are softly defined, focusing on the forms of buildings and clouds. Look at the archway – Roerich uses broken lines to suggest the rough texture of stone, and the way the paint is applied almost looks like it’s crumbling, adding to the sense of age and history. Roerich’s landscapes often possess a spiritual quality, and in "City" he captures a kind of timelessness, not unlike the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. These kinds of paintings embrace ambiguity and multiple interpretations, leaving us with a sense of wonder and quiet contemplation.