Tibet 1933

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of Tibet with oil on canvas, and when you look closely, you can almost feel the chill in the air. I imagine Roerich layering cool blues and whites to capture the monumental scale of the peaks. There is a thin application of paint, with a real sense of effortlessness to the composition. The artist makes brisk vertical strokes to suggest light glancing off the snow and the solid, unwavering presence of mountains that have stood for millennia. The blues in the shadows of the peaks give them volume and a sculptural quality. Roerich’s work reminds me of Marsden Hartley’s landscapes. Both artists use a simplified style to convey the stark beauty of the natural world. Artists are always in conversation with one another across time, inspiring each other with new ideas. Painting, for me, is all about being in touch with the ambiguities and possibilities of a moment in time.