The artwork, titled “Arhat,” was created by Nicholas Roerich in 1932. It belongs to the Symbolism art movement and falls under the genre of religious painting.
This painting depicts serene and illuminated mountainous landscapes under a golden sky. At the center right of the scene, a composed figure of an Arhat, a perfected person in Buddhism who has achieved nirvana, is portrayed sitting in a cave-like formation within the rocks. The sacred figure is bathed in a soft yellow light, invoking a sense of spiritual tranquility. Toward the left, a fierce, mythical entity is depicted in a dynamic stance, seemingly in mid-motion, providing a stark contrast with the calm and meditative Arhat. The overall atmosphere of the artwork is imbued with mystical and contemplative qualities, characteristic of Roerich’s symbolic and spiritualistic artistic style.