The artwork entitled “Sadness (Two in boat)” is a creation of artist Nicholas Roerich in 1939. It is a genre painting made with tempera on canvas, exemplifying the Symbolism movement. This particular piece is housed at the Novosibirsk State Museum of Fine Arts in Novosibirsk, Russia.
The artwork captures a scene of melancholic tranquility with two figures seated in a boat that floats eerily on what appears to be a placid body of water. The palette is dominated by bluish hues, imbuing the scene with a cool, somber atmosphere. The figures are rendered with minimal detail, which enhances the symbolic and emotional weight of the composition. The vastness of the water around the slender boat suggests isolation and the immensity of the characters’ emotional state. The horizon is vague, barely discernible, further emphasizing a sense of infinity and perhaps the unknown. The simplicity of form and the profound use of color in this piece evoke a deep sense of contemplation and introspection, characteristics often found in Symbolist works.
