Milarepa's cave 1931

Nicholas Roerich painted “Milarepa’s Cave,” in tones that feel earthy and somehow otherworldly. Look at the way the paint is dragged across the canvas, especially on the slopes - you can almost feel the texture of the rock. The color palette is so interesting. It's not quite realistic, but there's this harmony. The blues and browns and whites play off of each other. The mountains are built up of these diagonal stripes, like the land has been folded over on itself. Those dark patches on the lower slopes pull you in, like hidden doorways. The paint isn't super thick, more like translucent layers, but in those marks, you get a sense of the artist’s hand, quick and decisive. There's a touch of Georgia O'Keeffe in Roerich's approach. Both artists are interested in simplification and distilling nature down to its essence. But Roerich is maybe more interested in the mystical and symbolic. It is always a conversation, right? A back and forth. Art is like that, always asking questions and never giving easy answers.