Sketch of galley 1919

This sketch of a galley by Nicholas Roerich feels so light, like a breath. Imagine Roerich, pencil in hand, quickly capturing an image from his mind's eye, maybe from a dream or a story he once heard. The marks are so spare, just enough to suggest the form of the boat, a figure sitting in contemplation, a gentle duck-like prow. You can almost feel the movement of his hand as he coaxes these shapes into being. Roerich was such a prolific artist, exploring themes of spirituality, mythology, and the beauty of the natural world, and here he seems to be inviting us into a space of quiet reflection. What’s so enchanting about sketches is their directness—the immediacy of the artist's thought process laid bare. It reminds me that artists are constantly in conversation with each other and themselves. Drawing and painting are embodied practices; they are all about seeing, feeling, and thinking through material and gesture.