Tempe-jal-tzen-baykin (City of mobster Ja Lama) 1928

Nicholas Roerich painted "Tempe-jal-tzen-baykin (City of mobster Ja Lama)" with delicate washes of watercolor. Imagine Roerich's process – layering these hues, one over the other, the paper soaking it all in. There's a softness in the way the colors bleed together that feels like a memory. What was he thinking, seeing this landscape? Was he trying to capture the light, the feeling of a place? I think of Agnes Martin, and the way she uses thin washes to evoke a mood. There's a conversation happening across time, a shared language of paint. The horizon line is like a breath held, a pause in the landscape. That deep blue at the top – it's not just a color, it’s a feeling. Painting is a form of thinking through feeling. It doesn't give you answers, but it does offer a way of seeing.