The artwork entitled “Swirling glow” was created by Nicholas Roerich in 1945. This piece, executed on cardboard using tempera, is a representative work of the Symbolism art movement. The dimensions of this landscape genre artwork measure approximately 30.5 by 45.7 centimeters.
The artwork features a dramatic scene dominated by towering peaks that seem to be in a state of mystical flux. The mountains are rendered in a style that is both geometric and organic, with sharp angles softened by undulating curves, evocative of the fluid dynamism commonly found within Roerich’s oeuvre. An ethereal purple and blush-colored sky suggests a time of day that is neither fully day nor night, hinting at twilight or dawn—a liminal moment that symbolists like Roerich often used to explore metaphysical themes. The ‘swirling glow’ in the title may refer to the luminous quality of the light on the mountainside, or the gently billowing clouds that appear to both emerge from and melt into the peaks, adding a layer of metaphysical wonder to the natural landscape. There’s a profound harmony between the elements of earth and air, reiterating the symbolist fascination with the invisible forces that shape the visible world.
