The artwork titled “Kalki Avatar” was created by Nicholas Roerich in 1935. It was executed using tempera on canvas and is a distinguished piece representative of the Symbolism movement. The genre of this artwork is landscape.
In “Kalki Avatar,” Roerich portrays a majestic and ethereal mountainous landscape. The foreground depicts towering, snow-capped peaks that rise sharply against the backdrop of a dramatic and tumultuous sky. The mountains are rendered with a focus on their grand, imposing structure, while their sharp edges and vast expanses of snow give them a striking presence. Above, clouds swirl and converge in a palette of dark purples and subdued blues, creating a sense of movement and cosmic significance. The vibrant colors and dramatic contrasts evoke a sense of awe and otherworldly beauty, characteristic of Roerich’s symbolic and spiritual style. A small human figure draped in yellow can be seen in the lower left corner of the artwork, seemingly dwarfed by the grandeur of the landscape, suggesting themes of humility and the sublime in the face of nature’s majesty.