Saint Nicholas (Nicola Mozhaisky) 1920

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of Saint Nicholas, called Nicola Mozhaisky, with oil on canvas. The painting feels almost like a dreamscape, doesn't it? I can imagine Roerich layering those thin washes of color, one over the other, building up this otherworldly scene. There's a kind of stillness to it, but also a sense of movement in those mountains and that winding river. Look at the way he’s placed St Nicholas against that fiery red hill – it’s so striking. I wonder if Roerich was thinking about the spiritual power of color? Roerich was really into the connections between art, nature, and spirituality. And you can see that in this painting, he is in conversation with other artists and their art. The way he simplifies forms, it reminds me of early Renaissance art, yet with a modern sensibility. It's like he's pulling from different traditions to create something new. Painting is just so cool, it is an ongoing exchange of ideas.