Study of mountains 

This is a study of mountains by Nicholas Roerich. Painted with stark blues and whites, the central peak rises as a potent symbol of spiritual aspiration. Since antiquity, mountains have been imbued with symbolic weight, serving as both physical landmarks and metaphysical thresholds. The great Mount Olympus, the home of the gods; Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments; the holy Mount Meru of Buddhist and Hindu cosmology – all these evoke a universal human impulse to seek higher ground. We find this reflected in the collective memory of cultures around the world: places of revelation, transformation, and transcendence. Roerich harnesses this deep-seated cultural association. The starkness of the peaks against the deep blue sky evokes a sense of awe, and invites us to consider the profound, often subconscious, ways in which we project our spiritual longings onto the natural world. Roerich presents not only a landscape, but a mirror to the soul, inviting us to reflect on our own yearning for the transcendent.