Monhegan (study) 1922

Nicholas Roerich made this drawing, Monhegan (study), with graphite on paper. What might have been going on in Roerich's mind when he made this drawing? Look at the swirling lines in the sky. Imagine him wanting to find a way to make a mark for the wind, or a feeling, to be as solid and present as the rocks below. He's using hatching to build up shadow, giving form to the unyielding cliffs. But the sky is all movement, a nervous energy expressed in these loops and lines. It almost feels like the marks were a kind of frenzied dance to try and get all the movement down as fast as he could, before it disappeared. It makes me think about making studies when you want to capture a specific moment in time; how the light hits something, or the way something moves. It’s like you are trying to possess it.