Maitreya the Conqueror 1926

Nicholas Roerich made "Maitreya the Conqueror," likely with tempera, and maybe in the early part of the 20th century, given his interests at the time. The painting has this wonderfully compressed color palette. These reddish hues work in tandem with the subject matter, which is a combination of religion and a kind of sublime landscape painting. Looking at the sky, you can see how Roerich blends different shades to create an almost hallucinatory effect, making the clouds seem to writhe and pulse with color. I'm really interested in the treatment of the mountains in the background. There’s a kind of flattening of form that reminds me of Milton Avery. But then Roerich was also clearly looking at earlier traditions of Russian Orthodox icon painting. The blending of styles and symbolisms makes it a piece that's all his own. Artmaking for me is about this kind of conversation, and Roerich is definitely part of that dialogue.