Sunset rider 1918

Nicholas Roerich made this painting, titled "Sunset Rider", with oil on canvas. Isn't it interesting how he’s captured the essence of a landscape using these blocks of color? I imagine Roerich layering blues and yellows, one over the other. You get the sense he built up the painting from the back, moving slowly forwards with each pass. I bet he was really thinking about light and atmosphere. The yellow band feels like a horizon, but also a burst of light, like the sun has just dipped below the mountaintops and is reflecting upwards. I’m reminded of Marsden Hartley’s landscapes, and the way he reduced mountains and skies to their simplest forms. Both artists make the ordinary otherworldly. It's like they’re both channeling something ancient and powerful. The best paintings, like this one, keep the conversation going. They invite us to look, think, and feel, differently each time.