Om mani padme hum 1932

Editor: This is Nicholas Roerich's 1932 tempera painting, "Om mani padme hum", currently residing at the Latvian National Museum of Art. It's... serene. The pastels are calming, but there's also something imposing about the mountains looming in the background. What do you see in this piece, beyond the pretty landscape? Curator: Oh, much more than just pretty, darling! For me, Roerich captures a yearning, a whisper of ancient wisdom echoing through the Himalayas. It’s like he's painting a spiritual portal. The muted colors, that very specific shade of lilac...it evokes a feeling of transcendental peace. It invites you into contemplation. Editor: A portal, really? Curator: Absolutely! Roerich was deeply invested in theosophy, in bridging Eastern and Western spirituality. This isn’t just a mountain range; it's a landscape of the soul. Notice the strategic placement of the buildings against the peaks. The mountains *become* temples. They represent something eternal. It invites viewers to explore something higher, perhaps? Have you ever felt that deep connection to the landscape? Editor: I guess I never thought of it like that, but I suppose there *is* a kind of power that landscape possesses, whether its symbolic or real. The spiritual thing is new for me. Curator: That's the magic, isn’t it? Art opening up new pathways to connect with something profound. Maybe we're all just tiny temples nestled in the landscape of something greater. Editor: A good note to end on. Thanks! I'll never see pastels quite the same way again.