Message to Tiron 1940

Nicholas Roerich painted Message to Tiron with what looks like tempera, and this choice of medium really gives the work an interesting textural quality. The surface is smooth, matte, and almost velvety to the eye. I imagine Roerich layering these pigments, building up these snow-capped structures, this messenger, one on top of the other. What was he thinking when he decided on the precise location of that character? I get the sense he was trying to convey a sense of isolation, with the vast expanse of land stretching out behind him, and that big open sky up above. And that sky, it's like a perfectly mixed gradient! Painting is a conversation. We look, we react, we add our own stories. And each one of us brings something different to that conversation, don’t you think?