A depiction of the Cintamani being carried by the Lung Ta (Wind Horse) 1936

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of the Cintamani being carried by the Lung Ta, or Wind Horse, with tempera on canvas. Look at the surface texture – the matte finish and layered brushstrokes. I imagine Roerich applying these blocks of colour, one after another, feeling his way through the composition. There’s a real sensitivity to the materiality of paint here. These mountains rendered in pinks, oranges, and purples are like feelings made visible. The horse itself has a kind of numinous glow, as though lit from within. That bright colour, this little light, placed right in the centre of all those darker tones is very moving. Roerich’s paintings remind me that artists are always in dialogue with one another, building upon and transforming the ideas of those who came before. Painting is a way of thinking, feeling, and seeing, all at once.