The artwork entitled “Tsaidam swamps,” created by Nicholas Roerich circa 1929 in Mongolia, is a tempera painting on cardboard that belongs to the Symbolism art movement. It measures 45.5 by 30.5 centimeters and is a landscape genre piece housed in the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City, New York, United States.
The artwork presents a serene landscape of the Tsaidam swamps. It captures the expanse and tranquility of nature with a subtle palette dominated by hues of green, brown, and blue. The painting’s foreground features delicate, slender reeds or grasses emerging from the wetland, while the middle ground is characterized by the sweeping curves of the swamp, shaded in mossy green and ochre tones. In the background, low hills are painted in various shades of blue, creating a sense of depth and distance. The use of tempera on cardboard provides a matte, textured quality that enhances the mystical and serene ambiance of the scene, typical of Roerich’s style.
