Himalayas. Morning. 1941

Nicholas Roerich painted these 'Himalayas, Morning' using what looks like thinned oil paint to create these wispy, translucent layers. It's all about building up color and atmosphere through the act of layering, right? Up close, you can see how Roerich applied the paint in these soft, horizontal strokes, especially in the sky. The blues fade into one another, like a watercolor, creating this serene, almost dreamlike effect. I love how the peaks of the mountains are just barely touched with white – it’s so simple, but it gives them this incredible sense of height and distance. You can almost feel the crisp, cold air. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's subtle color gradations. Both artists were able to achieve a sense of the sublime through simple, almost minimalist means. It shows how painting, at its best, is about creating a space for contemplation and feeling, more than just depicting a scene.