At midnight. Light of the Shambhala. 1940

Nicholas Roerich made At Midnight. Light of the Shambhala, sometime in the first half of the 20th century, using tempera on canvas. The gradients of colour here are really something - the way the blues at the bottom bleed into the pinks and lilacs which then blaze into yellow at the top. It’s like he’s trying to capture not just a visual impression, but the very sensation of light. Looking at the surface, you can see the strokes of the brush – they’re not trying to hide. This adds to the feeling that you’re seeing something being made, right in front of your eyes. I’m really drawn to those rays of yellow light. There’s a sense of movement, as if the painting is still in process. For me, the piece shares some of the colour and mysticism of Hilma af Klint, who was working in a similar period. Ultimately, I think Roerich is inviting us to see beyond the surface of things, to glimpse something deeper, maybe even something spiritual.