Tibet 1937

This is a painting titled 'Tibet' by Nicholas Roerich, and it’s kind of like looking through a really beautiful filter. You know? Roerich really knew his way around color. The way he layers these colors, it's almost like he’s not just painting a landscape, but a feeling, too. I’m thinking about how the texture isn’t trying to trick you into believing it's a real place, but instead is presenting you with a version of a real place. It’s dreamlike. Take a look at that horizon line, and the long cloud, with the shadow on the water. The paint is applied in such a way as to suggest movement without clearly defining shape. He’s almost collaging different emotions together, right? There’s something so honest about the way he puts down paint. Like Roerich is saying, “Hey, this is how I see the world. What do you think?” This reminds me a little bit of Hilma af Klint, another artist who was interested in something bigger than just what you can see. The conversation between artists never ends.