Red Lama 1924

Nicholas Roerich’s ‘Red Lama’ offers a landscape of the mind, painted with a spiritual intensity that seeks to transcend the material world. The painting's flat planes and bold contrasts suggest a process of intuitive layering. Look at how Roerich uses color – the fiery orange sky against the cool blues and whites of the mountains, that red figure standing on the hill. It's not about realism; it's about creating a feeling, a mood. There is a mark making in the lower part of the image that evokes the feeling of arid soil, or parched earth. Notice how this contrasts with the coolness of the snow capped mountains in the distance. The contrast between foreground and background really enhances the emotional impact of the piece. Roerich's work resonates with artists like Hilma af Klint, who were also exploring spiritual dimensions through abstraction. Ultimately, ‘Red Lama’ invites us to consider art as a doorway to other realms, where seeing becomes a form of meditation.