Devassari Abuntu turns into stone 1906

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, Devassari Abuntu turns into stone, and it's really interesting how he uses these bold, flat colors. It’s like he’s not trying to trick you into thinking you’re seeing something real, but rather showing you a feeling, a state of being. Look at the way he's laid down the paint; it's pretty even, not a lot of texture, which makes the whole scene feel a bit like a stage set. The ochre ground and the dark shapes that could be rocks or shadows, they all have this sort of symbolic weight. The woman herself, her pose, it's so dramatic. And that stark contrast between her pale skin and the dark mass that she's becoming – it’s intense. Roerich was really into the spiritual and the mystical, and you see that in his work, he reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint in that sense, although they have very different aesthetics. His paintings invite you to consider that art isn't about showing the world but embracing the unknown.