Bogatyrs woke up 1940

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of waking giants with oil paint, but when I look at it, I think of egg tempera. He's using this really interesting combination of blues, reds and purples to define these mountainous forms, which are actually sleeping giants. The pigment looks almost chalky, kind of like a fresco, and there's a matte finish. Roerich doesn't blend so much as juxtapose different hues, and the effect is luminous. Check out the way he models the figures, using subtle variations of colour rather than dramatic shadow. See how the faces emerge from the canvas with this quiet intensity. Then there's this bright mountain scene in the background. It reminds me of Puvis de Chavannes. Both artists used colour to create these really tranquil, otherworldly atmospheres. It makes you think about the stories we tell ourselves, and how painting can be a space for dreaming.