Wait 1901

Nicholas Roerich captured this scene, called ‘Wait’, using monochromatic tones to depict hunters in a wintry landscape. I can imagine Roerich starting with a dark wash, maybe burnt umber or black, then building up layers to suggest snow-covered ground and a forest of thin, bare trees. The paint looks quite thin here, allowing for a kind of transparency, a ghostly effect. See how he uses vertical marks for the trees, repeated and varied just enough to create depth? I wonder if Roerich felt a sense of tension, balancing the hunters' focused pose against the stillness of the winter forest. It’s all about waiting, seeing what emerges. Like painting itself, it’s about watching how forms take shape, discovering meaning in the process. And like so many painters, he sets up a situation, a scene, and then waits to see what happens. There's always that beautiful back and forth with art, it’s an ongoing conversation.