The painting of the western wall of the chapel of St. Anastasia 1913

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of the western wall of the chapel of St. Anastasia, probably directly on the wall itself. You know, the colours are so muted, kind of like they've been weathered by time, or maybe that’s just the magic of the fresco. Look at how Roerich used thin washes of paint, layering blues and ochres to create this ethereal scene. It's almost as if he's trying to capture a fleeting moment, a vision that's just barely there. There’s this real sense of the paint sinking into the wall, becoming part of it, and it reminds me of how art can transform a space, imbue it with a sense of history and spirituality. I find myself drawn to the way Roerich depicts the angels flanking the window, they are more like ghostly presences. It makes me think about Giotto, and the way he used simple, monumental forms to convey deep emotion. There’s a similar feeling of reverence and awe here. Art is like a conversation that stretches across time, each artist building on what came before, and Roerich, like all of us, had his own unique voice.