The artwork “Shadows of the Past” was created by Nicholas Roerich in 1937. It is a symbolic painting that belongs to the Symbolism art movement. This piece is housed in the State Museum of Oriental Art in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork exhibits a mystical and historical atmosphere. Set against a deep blue backdrop, it features a stained glass window with vibrant and intricate designs. Below the window, a procession of figures dressed in medieval or Renaissance attire, rendered in muted tones, moves across the scene. The purple drapery that frames the top and right of the composition adds to the sense of solemnity and mystery, evoking a narrative steeped in the echoes of bygone eras.