Corridors of the castle. Dungeons 1913

Roerich made this painting of castle dungeons with what looks like tempera or maybe gouache, and you can really see the touch of the hand in the layering of these powdery colours. The painting is mostly blues and purples, creating a kind of twilight zone, with just a few spots of a desaturated yellow-white bringing through the gloom. The texture looks dry and chalky, and the way the colours are layered, it feels like the paint has been scrubbed onto the surface. Look at the rounded arch of brickwork near the centre of the picture – each stone is outlined and infilled with a slightly different tone, giving a real sense of depth, as if you could reach into the painting. The whole scene reminds me of de Chirico, but in a softer register, with more emphasis on a spiritual quality, reflecting how art can create a space where we're not quite sure what we're looking at, and yet it feels deeply meaningful.