Alexander Nevsky 1942

Nicholas Roerich's "Alexander Nevsky" is an epic scene, built up from simple shapes and a limited palette of reds, purples, and ochre. The paint looks applied in smooth planes. I can imagine Roerich, steadily building the composition from simplified blocks of color. It's like he’s composing a stage set. The figures are arranged in a theatrical landscape as if enacting a mythical drama. Looking at this piece, I wonder what Roerich was thinking about when he painted it. Was he visualizing the sweeping landscape of Russia? The repetition of similar shapes and colours creates a rhythmic effect, like a visual echo. This makes me think of other artists who simplify form, such as Marsden Hartley, or even Milton Avery. There's something profound in the act of translation. The way he takes a complex subject, and breaks it down into these essential, emotive forms. It makes the painting feel both ancient and incredibly modern.