Under The Vast Blue Sky

BYAMBAJARGAL

60 x 80 cm

Oil on Linen (Framed)

2024

In this atmospheric piece, horses run unrestrained over restless waves of grass and under roiling clouds, as the wind whips up wavelets in the river. Amidst the turmoil, an ancient standing stone remains beyond the power of the storm, unmoved as it has been for centuries... and will be for centuries more.

[This work has been pre-framed, and the pricing indicated here is inclusive of the framing cost.]

BYAMBAJARGAL

60 × 100 cm

Oil on Linen (Framed)

2023

Painted while the artist was going through a faith-testing experience, this depicts a section in the 415-kilometre journey of Chuluut ("stony") River through rocky valleys. The twists and turns of life are unending, like the progress of a river through sunlight and shadow. Yet while the river passes under dark cliffs, the light still shines above, and the river eventually emerges to brightness once again. The artist learned it is not the size of his faith that matters, but in what or whom he has faith.

(This painting was juried into the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS) 2023 Associate Member Art Exhibition, a US competition “honoring the best in oil and acrylic painting” internationally, and is available for purchase only at Sound of Art.)

Oil on Linen

60 x 80cm

2024

(Original; Framed)

A group of horses stand on a sunny hilltop: the saddled ones have been left there while their masters attend to business, and the other ones -- unsaddled and grazing in the area -- trotted up to socialise. The saddled horses wait patiently, ready to take their riders anywhere once they appear, unlike the others -- since the Mongolian grasslands are unfenced, their owners will have to locate them first, using binoculars!

BYAMBAJARGAL

60 × 80 cm

Oil on Linen (Framed)

2023

With the amazing clarity of light and vast expanse, the countryside sky is an ever-changing canvas for divine artwork in clouds: glorious swirls, puffs, billows and layers, grand sweeps of iridescence in dazzling patterns and hues; a thousand shades of white, grey, red, orange, gold, purple and pink against countless shades of blue, even when the skies are overcast.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.”

[This work has been pre-framed, and the pricing indicated here is inclusive of the framing cost.]

BYAMBAJARGAL
40 x 50 cm
Oil on canvas
2024

In this painting of a Mongolian nomad's encampment in autumn, early snow drifts over the last green pastures near the river, itself soon to be frozen over.

The wise herder has chosen the spot for his winter stable well, in the shelter of a mountain and protected from wintery blasts by a bulwark of trees and brush.

A reminder that we, too, must choose carefully where to abide, if we are to thrive during the harsh seasons of life.

Curator’s note:
The painting was done at the turn of the season; Byambajargal travelled in his van to a remote spot 500km from Ulaanbaatar to capture the colours of a Mongolian autumn. The picture and theme call to mind the words of the song:

A mighty fortress is our God
A bulwark never failing
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing

BYAMBAJARGAL

80cm x 60cm

Oil on linen (Framed)

2025

Blue in Mongolia represents the eternal blue sky, a symbol of peace, enduring blessing and spiritual strength. In this painting, a mounted traveler sets off for an unseen destination. The way is rough and twisting, the blazing sun relentless. The traveler is undeterred, for his path through the wilderness is clear thanks to the constant above him: the overarching sky that stretches across his entire journey.

BYAMBAJARGAL

70 × 50cm

Oil on Canvas (framed)

2025

This tranquil painting shows Solongotin Davaa "Iridescent Mountain Pass", the only way that people in the northwestern parts of Mongolia can reach the capital 733 kilometres away. Prone to blizzards and black ice, the pass is notorious with motorists, but holds no terror for the shaggy yaks that roam its slopes. In bucolic summer or bleak winter, the yaks meander nonchalantly through thorns and snow alike, secure in layers of thick insulating fur. That, muses the artist, is the experience of an abundance of peace -- secure knowledge of protection regardless of surroundings.

BYAMBAJARGAL

100 x 60cm

Oil on Linen (Framed)

2025

This grand sweeping landscape features the rolling steppes and craggy mountains that western Mongolia is renowned for, crowned by the majestic Altai range. Yet for all its rugged beauty, the vast space is where the resilient and resourceful not just survive, but thrive through sheer grit and tenacity: those who hunt with eagles, camel caravanners, nomadic herders; as well as explorers, mountaineers and, perhaps, the odd intrepid artist. Amidst the harsh plains scoured by biting winds, tiny oases of warmth and comfort exist due to the nomad's legendary kindness and hospitality.