Himalayas 1947

Nicholas Roerich made this small painting of the Himalayas with tempera. It's awash with dreamy pinks and purples, with sharp ultramarine shadows cast across the peaks, all set against a hazy yellow sky. I can almost feel Roerich dabbing at the paper with his brush, layering the colors, trying to capture the way light hits the mountains. Was he thinking about the spiritual significance of the Himalayas? Or was he simply trying to nail the colours and atmosphere of a place he loved? Look at the way the colours shift and change. That pink running down the mountain face. It's solid, yet somehow translucent, too. It's that kind of ambiguity that makes painting so exciting. Roerich's work reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint, another artist who was interested in the spiritual dimension, channelling other states of consciousness through colour and form. Painting is an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time. We artists are always inspiring one another’s creativity. And just like life, it's about embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings, rather than fixed or definitive readings.