“Sanctuaries and Citadels” is a tempera on canvas artwork created by Nicholas Roerich in 1925. This piece, part of his “Sanctuaries and Citadels” series, is significant within the Symbolism art movement. Measuring 66 by 99 centimeters, the landscape genre painting currently resides in a private collection.
The artwork vividly portrays a mountainous landscape with an array of warm, earthy tones. The composition leads the viewer’s eye through the steep, undulating terrain to the structures embedded within the natural surroundings, suggesting a harmonious blend of human settlements with the ruggedness of nature. The muted colors and layered forms evoke a sense of timelessness and spiritual serenity, hallmarks of Roerich’s symbolic style, which often imbued ordinary landscapes with deeper, mystical meanings.
