Himalayas 1943

This piece, Himalayas, by Nicholas Roerich, has no known date but it’s made using what looks like pastel. Look at the way he lays down the colors, almost like stripes following the form of the mountains. It’s all about the process here, right? The texture of the pastel makes the colors blend in a soft way, giving the whole thing a dreamlike quality. And the colors! Pinks, purples, blues. The way the light hits those peaks is like a whisper of color, not too bold, but definitely there. There’s a real physicality to the medium. You can almost feel the chalky texture on your fingers. I can see the traces of his gestures, the way he moved the pastel across the surface. There is a similar feeling to Lawren Harris's landscapes, especially in the way Roerich captures the sublime, spiritual aspect of nature. It's as if he is using color and form to tap into something bigger than just what we see.