Saint Sergius 1922

Here we have 'Saint Sergius' by Nicholas Roerich, and it feels like a really personal vision. Look at how the image is built with these bold outlines and pure colors, it’s like Roerich is setting down his own visual laws. The painting is so flat, so present, you know? The paint isn't trying to trick you into thinking it’s anything else. It’s just paint, being itself. I love the way the yellow halo glows against that clear blue sky, and how the architectural forms below seem to echo the figure’s spiritual authority. Then there's the mark-making: confident strokes that define form without fuss. It reminds me a little of early Kandinsky in its simplicity and directness, though Roerich has his own distinct mystical bent. Ultimately, the painting resists easy answers, inviting us into a space where faith and art intertwine, where seeing becomes believing.