Study to "Book of Wisdom" 1929

Curator: "Study to "Book of Wisdom,"' created in 1929 by Nicholas Roerich, utilizes tempera and watercolor on what appears to be board or a heavier weight paper. I am struck by the solitary figure and how dwarfed it seems by the immensity of the landscape. What do you make of it? Editor: I’m immediately drawn to the layers of the mountains, receding into the distance. It feels almost like a stage set, each layer a different plane. What I find particularly interesting is how Roerich combines watercolor with tempera; what does that combination of materials mean to you? Curator: It suggests a fascinating intersection of intentions and limitations. Tempera, historically associated with icon painting, speaks to a kind of timelessness, while watercolor, being more fluid and immediate, grounds it in the physical experience of painting. Roerich’s choice isn't arbitrary. Consider how those mineral pigments are acquired and processed; the labour involved. The sourcing itself likely embedded the painting in colonial dynamics related to artistic influence, extraction and market values. Does this impact how you view the scene? Editor: I hadn’t considered that. It's like the sublime landscape is built upon layers of materials, labor, and cultural exchange. It changes my perspective and I now feel unsettled when looking at it, especially thinking about the colonial undertones of those acquired materials. It speaks to a larger system of production and consumption. Curator: Precisely! It raises critical questions about our relationship with the landscape – not just as viewers but as active participants in systems that shape our perception of it. So even this "intimate" scene has broad material and colonial ties to consumption. Editor: I'll definitely keep the sourcing and the processing of art materials in mind moving forward. I never thought to see such things in landscapes. Curator: It’s a constant unearthing. We are always participating.