And we continue fishing 1922

Nicholas Roerich’s 'And we continue fishing' is a painting of twilight made with a restrained palette of ochre, crimson, and purple, inviting contemplation of a timeless scene. I imagine Roerich building up layers of thin paint, letting the colors vibrate against each other to create a sense of light, space, and the presence of water. He uses simple shapes and silhouettes to represent figures in boats moving across a stylized sea. It’s so elemental, so reduced to its essence, that you feel you’ve seen this scene a million times. The paint isn't trying to fool you into thinking it's real life, but I wonder if Roerich felt the struggle, the endlessness of the work involved, and maybe even the fear of the fishermen. These dark silhouettes of figures in boats make me think of other artists—Hodler, maybe, or even Ryder—who were also trying to find a way to express something beyond the surface of things. The way he simplifies form connects him to ancient traditions, while his sensitivity to colour chimes with Symbolism. What all painters share is a sense of trying to get at something profound, something just out of reach, using just colour and form.