Sharugen Monastery 1932

Nicholas Roerich painted Sharugen Monastery with tempera, and it’s the way the solid forms and colours come together that really grabs me. Roerich makes this world with simplified, yet assertive strokes. The paint isn't trying to trick you. Instead, the textures, the color blocks, the shapes—they all declare themselves. The overall flatness heightens the impact of the colors, especially that bright yellow building against the magenta mountains. The way Roerich lays down his colors, you can almost feel him making decisions, simplifying forms, and emphasizing what he thought was important. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley and his landscapes. Both artists, in their own ways, invite us into a world that’s less about imitation and more about feeling. This piece embraces a kind of visual shorthand, proving that sometimes, less is more, and ambiguity can be a strength.