Gilgit Road 1925

Nicholas Roerich gave us these mountains using what looks like thin layers of paint and a palette of blues, browns, and greys. I wonder, was he wrestling with how to make the untouchable, touchable? Roerich was part of the Symbolist movement, and I wonder what these mountains *meant* to him. Probably not just mountains, right? Like, what did he *feel* when he looked at them? Those sweeping marks create a sensation of depth; the mountains feel both monumental and distant, their peaks disappearing into the sky. The blues and browns are so muted, they blend together. Did he have to keep going back again and again to get the gradations just so? Making paintings is not just about depicting a thing, but understanding and sharing an experience. And that’s what painters do, they keep sharing with each other, inspiring each other across time. Roerich painted these mountains, and now I’m looking at them, and they're making me want to paint too!