Three arrows 1923

Nicholas Roerich made ‘Three Arrows’ using thin paint layers to create a dreamlike image with soft forms. Looking at the surface, you notice how the salmon pink of the sky mixes with the deeper purples and blues of the distant mountains. Everything feels flat and close up at the same time, like a stage set. I love how the person in the foreground is rendered with such simple marks. Look at the way Roerich uses small stripes of colour to describe the folds in the figure’s clothing; it’s so economical, but gives you all the information you need. It's like he’s saying, "Here's a world, distilled down to its essence." I think about Milton Avery, another artist who wasn't afraid to simplify forms and use colour in unexpected ways. Both artists show us that painting can be about feeling, about creating a mood, more than about representing reality.