Himalayas 1944

Nicholas Roerich made this painting of the Himalayas, and you can really imagine the chalky pastel dust swirling in the air as he worked. Look at the way the light hits those peaks – the rosy pink against the cool blue. I bet Roerich was chasing a feeling more than a likeness. You know, trying to capture that fleeting moment when the mountains seem to glow from within. Roerich traveled extensively in that region, and you can almost feel him there, bundled up against the cold, squinting at the horizon. It makes you wonder what he was thinking about as he laid down those strokes. Was he trying to convey the grandeur of nature, or something more spiritual? I guess every artist brings something of themselves to a landscape. And every viewer takes something away. Painting is like that, an ongoing exchange across time.