Solveig 1912

Nicholas Roerich made this watercolour painting, Solveig. Look at the subtle way he's built up the colours, especially in the folds of her white skirt, it's so gentle, almost tentative. I get the feeling that Roerich wasn’t trying to capture a likeness but aiming to evoke something deeper. The textures and the way the colors bleed into each other give it a dreamlike quality. The more you look, the more you see—the way the red vest pops, or the intricate patterns on her skirt. I find myself drawn to the way Roerich handles the hands. They're clasped together, almost as if in prayer or contemplation, but they are more like ghostly suggestions of hands than solid forms. Roerich also made paintings of landscapes with mountains that seem very influenced by Japanese prints. I think you can see this in the emphasis on line here, and the way the figure fills the frame. I like that this piece embraces a certain degree of uncertainty, leaving room for our imagination to wander.