Fight with the dragon 1912

Nicholas Roerich’s 'Fight with the Dragon' is a painting that seems to have been made in another time, a tapestry of colour and story. The piece is steeped in a palette of deep blues, reds, and earthy yellows. The colours aren't blended; they sit side by side like a mosaic. I like that because it gives the whole scene this sense of being built, constructed, rather than just observed. Looking closely, you can see how Roerich applied the paint in distinct, almost blocky strokes. The texture isn't about realism; it's about building this world, a dreamlike space. Notice the dragon, rendered in fiery reds; the colour vibrates with a life of its own. Then your eye travels across to the knight, locked in combat. The entire painting feels like a stage, a space for this epic battle between good and evil. Roerich’s use of flattened perspective and bold colour reminds me of Gustav Klimt, another artist who wasn’t afraid to create his own visual language. Art is always in conversation, right? Roerich, Klimt, and all of us, adding our voices to the mix, one mark at a time.