At midnight. Light of the Shambhala. 1940

Nicholas Roerich made 'At midnight. Light of the Shambhala.' with paint on canvas, and just look at that color! Purple reigns supreme, but it’s not alone; streaks of yellow dance across the top, meeting in the middle with a soft lilac glow. I imagine Roerich layering these colors slowly, coaxing the aurora from the canvas. Maybe he was thinking about mystical places or states of mind. I like that! The paint looks thin, almost translucent, especially in the way the light seems to shine from within. See how the brushstrokes are directional, almost like rays of light? That's a pretty cool effect. It gives the painting a sense of movement, as if the colors are alive and breathing. Roerich was super into the spiritual, and you see that in his wider work. Think about Hilma af Klint or Agnes Martin; they were all chasing something beyond the visible world, using painting as a way to get there. Painting is always a conversation; we build on each other's work, trying out new ideas, pushing the boundaries. There’s no one way of seeing; that's what keeps it interesting.