Turquoise sky, pink mountains, purple foot 1940

Nicholas Roerich painted this landscape, ‘Turquoise sky, pink mountains, purple foot’, at some point in his life, using tempera. The overall feeling is, well, pretty chill. It's all about these big, simplified shapes, and the color choices are so unexpected. I mean, turquoise and pink? It's like nature got a pop art makeover. The paint is really matte, like it just sits on the surface. You can almost feel the dryness of the pigment. It makes me think about how Roerich must have mixed his colors, trying to get that just-right shade of pink for the mountains. Look at the way he's built up those mountain forms with these angular strokes. It’s not about making them look real, it’s more like he’s showing you the idea of a mountain, how they have a monumental presence and can be very colourful at sunset. There's something very stage-like about this painting, as if it is a backdrop for a mystical drama. I'm reminded of Marsden Hartley, another painter who wasn’t afraid to use bold color in his landscapes and also had an interest in spiritual matters. Ultimately, art is a conversation, right? It’s all about seeing what others have done and trying to add your own little twist.