The artwork titled “And We Are Opening the Gates” was created by Nicholas Roerich in 1922, rendered on canvas using tempera. It is a notable piece from the Symbolism art movement and belongs to the “Sancta” series. With its dimensions measuring 70.3 x 100.4 cm, the artwork is a cityscape genre painting currently housed in the Roerich Museum in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork depicts an archway, forming the central focus of the composition, through which a serene landscape is visible. This landscape features gentle hills stretching into the distance, adorned with a church perched atop one of the hills. The archway, constructed in a solid, architectural style with historical and religious significance, is flanked by intricate depictions of saintly figures or religious icons. The colors used are rich and earthy, contributing to an overall feeling of solemnity and reverence, enhanced by the symbolic nature of the image. A figure stands in the foreground, seemingly in the act of opening or moving through the gate, indicating a transition or journey from one realm to another. The combination of religious imagery and serene landscape underscores the symbolist nature of Roerich’s work, evoking themes of spirituality, enlightenment, and transcendence.
