| Revision as of 01:58, 16 July 2012 editMetropolitan90 (talk | contribs)Administrators52,322 edits →Biography: style← Previous edit | Revision as of 02:31, 16 July 2012 edit undoMedeis (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users49,187 edits restore neutral well-written materialNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Infobox Person | |||
| {{POV|date=November 2011}} | |||
| {{Copy edit|date=November 2011}} | |||
| {{Infobox person | |||
| |name = Nicholas Roerich | |name = Nicholas Roerich | ||
| |image = N_Roerich.jpg | |image = N_Roerich.jpg | ||
| |image_size = |
|image_size = 144px | ||
| |caption = |
|caption = | ||
| |birth_name = | |birth_name = | ||
| |birth_date = {{ |
|birth_date = {{birth date|1874|10|9}} | ||
| |birth_place = ], ] | |birth_place = ], ] | ||
| |death_date = {{ |
|death_date = {{death date and age|1947|12|13|1874|10|9}} | ||
| |death_place = ], India | |death_place = ], ] | ||
| |death_cause = | |death_cause = | ||
| |resting_place = | |resting_place = | ||
| |resting_place_coordinates = | |resting_place_coordinates = | ||
| |residence = | |residence = | ||
| |nationality = |
|nationality = ] | ||
| | |
|other_names = | ||
| | |
|known_for = | ||
| | |
|education = | ||
| | |
|employer = | ||
| |occupation = painter, archaeologist, costume and set designer for ballets, operas, and dramas | |||
| |alma_mater = ], <br/> ] | |||
| | |
|home_town = | ||
| |title = | |||
| |occupation = Painter, philosopher, archaeologist, writer, traveler, public figure | |||
| | |
|salary = | ||
| | |
|networth = | ||
| | |
|height = | ||
| | |
|weight = | ||
| | |
|term = | ||
| | |
|predecessor = | ||
| | |
|successor = | ||
| | |
|party = | ||
| | |
|boards = | ||
| | |
|religion = | ||
| |boards = | |||
| |religion = | |||
| |spouse = ] | |spouse = ] | ||
| |partner = | |partner = | ||
| |children = ], <br/> ] | |children = ], <br/> ] | ||
| |parents = |
|parents = | ||
| |relatives = | |relatives = | ||
| |signature = | |||
| |awards = Russian orders of ], ] and ],<br/> | |||
| |website = | |||
| Serbian ],<br/> | |||
| |footnotes = | |||
| ],<br/> | |||
| ]. | |||
| |signature = | |||
| |website = | |||
| |footnotes = | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Nicholas Roerich''', also known as '''Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh''' ({{lang-ru|Никола́й Константи́нович Рéрих}}; {{OldStyleDate|October 9|1874|September 27}}{{spaced ndash}}December 13, 1947), was a Russian ], painter, philosopher, scientist, writer, traveler, and public figure.<ref> | |||
| '''Nicholas Roerich''', (], ] - ], ]) also known as '''Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh''' (alternative transliteration) ({{lang-ru|Николай Константинович Рерих}}), was a ]n ] and ]<ref> | |||
| // Great biographic encyclopedia. | |||
| // Большая биографическая энциклопедия | |||
| : — // Russian philosophy: Dictionary / Edited by M. Maslin. / V.V.Sapov. – Moscow, "Respublika”, 1995. | |||
| : — // Русская философия: словарь/Под общ. ред. М. А. Маслина / В. В. Сапов. — М.: Республика, 1995 | |||
| : — // Short Philosophical Dictionary. / A.P.Alekseev, G.G.Vasiliev et.al. Edited by A.P.Alekseev. – Second edition, supplemented and revised. – Moscow. "Velby”, Prospect publishing, 2004. (in Russian). | |||
| : — // Краткий философский словарь / А. П. Алексеев, Г. Г. Васильев и др.; Под ред. А. П. Алексеева — 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. — М.: ТК Велби, Изд-во Проспект, 2004. | |||
| : — S. Levit. // Culturology. XX century. Encyclopedia. – 1998. | |||
| : |
: — // С. Левит. Культурология. XX век. Энциклопедия., 1998 г. | ||
| : — / Новейший философский словарь /Грицанов А. А.. — Научное издание. — Минск: В. М. Скакун, 1999 г. — 896 с. | |||
| : — // Biographic Dictionary. | |||
| : |
: — // Биографический словарь | ||
| : — // Современная энциклопедия | |||
| : — // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. | |||
| : — // Большая советская энциклопедия | |||
| : — // Encyclopaedia of F. A. Brockhause and I. A. Ephron. | |||
| : — // Энциклопедический словарь Ф. А. Брокгауза и И. А. Ефрона | |||
| : — // Encyclopaedia "Krugosvet" | |||
| : — // Энциклопедия «Кругосвет» | |||
| : — Roerich Nikolai Konstantinovich // Modern Encyclopaedia. "Great Russian Encyclopedia” Publishing, 1997. | |||
| : — Рерих Николай Константинович // Современный Энциклопедический словарь. Изд. «Большая Российская Энциклопедия», 1997 г. | |||
| : — // Gallery of Russian Thinkers | : — // Gallery of Russian Thinkers | ||
| : |
: — / Meyers Konversations Lexikon. Online-version | ||
| </ref>. | |||
| </ref> A prolific artist, he created thousands of paintings (many of them are exhibited in well-known museums of the world) and about 30 literary works. Roerich was an author and initiator of an international pact for the protection of artistic and academic institutions and historical sites (]) and a founder of an international movement for the defence of culture. Roerich earned several nominations for the ]. | |||
| Born in ], ] to the family of a well-to-do notary public, he lived around the world until his death in ]. Trained as an artist and a ], his interests lay in ], ], ] and especially ]. Roerich was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture in times of war. He earned several nominations for the ]. The so-called ] was signed into law by the United States and most member nations of the ] in April 1935. | |||
| ==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| ===Early life=== | ===Early life=== | ||
| ]s in Russia)]] | |||
| Raised in turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg, Roerich matriculated simultaneously at ] and the ] in 1893. He received the title of "artist" in 1897 and a degree in law the following year. He found early employment with the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, whose school he directed from 1906 to 1917. Despite early tensions with the group, he became a member of ]'s "]" society; he chaired the society from 1910 to 1916. | |||
| Artistically, he made a mark as his generation's most talented painter of Russia's ancient past, a subject that meshed well with his lifelong interest in archaeology. He also succeeded in the field of stage design, achieving his greatest fame as one of the designers for Diaghilev's ]. His best-known designs were for Borodin's '']'' (1909 and later productions), and costumes and set for '']'' (1913), composed by ]. | |||
| Roerich in translation from the ancient Scandinavian means "rich of fame" (Rö Rich).<ref>"Zazhigaite serdtsa!" Collected works. Second Edition. – Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya" Publishing, 1978. – p. 25</ref> Members of Roerich's family had occupied prominent military and administrative posts in Russia since the reign of Peter I.<ref>Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. . Series "Life of remarkable people" (in Russian). Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya" Publishing. – 1973. – p. 12</ref> Roerich's father Konstantin Fedorovich was a well-known notary who was born in ]. Roerich's mother Maria Vasilyevna Kalashnikova descended from a long line of merchants and traders. Among friends of the Roerich family were such famous personalities as ], ], ], L. Ivanovsky, and others. | |||
| Another of Roerich's passions was architecture. His acclaimed "Architectural Studies" (1904-1905) -- the dozens of paintings he completed of fortresses, monasteries, churches, and other monuments during two long trips through Russia -- inspired his decades-long career as an activist on behalf of artistic and architectural preservation. He also designed religious art for places of worship throughout Russia and ], most notably the ''Queen of Heaven'' fresco for the Church of the Holy Spirit which the patroness ] built near her ] estate. | |||
| ]s in Russia)</center>]] | |||
| Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on October 9, 1874, the first-born son of lawyer and notary, Konstantin Roerich and his wife Maria. From childhood Nicholas Roerich was attracted to painting, archaeology, history and the abundant cultural heritage of the East.<ref>Belikov P. F., Knyazeva V. P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. – Samara, 1996. – Third Edition, supplemented. – pp. 10–11{{ru icon}}</ref> When he was nine, a noted archeologist came to conduct explorations in the region and took young Roerich on his excavations of the local tumuli. The adventure of unveiling the mysteries of forgotten eras with his own hands sparked an interest in archeology that would last his lifetime.<ref>www.roerich.org</ref> His father did not want him to pursue painting as a career, but rather to study law. He made a compromise, and after finishing his studies in 1893, Roerich simultaneously entered the Saint-Petersburg University (he graduated in 1898) and the Emperor's Academy of Arts. From 1895, he studied in the studio of the famous Russian landscape painter ]. At that time, he closely communicated with various well-known artists, writers and musicians – ], ], ], ], and ]. During his student years in Saint Petersburg Roerich had already become a member of the Russian archeological society. He had conducted numerous excavations in ], ], ], ], ] and ] provinces. From 1904, together with Prince Putyatin, he recovered several Neolithic sites at Valdai (near Pyros lake). Roerich's Neolithic findings excited real sensation in Russia and Western Europe.<ref>Ivanov M. A. Roerichs and Tver region. Tver, GERS Publishers. – 2007. – p. 79{{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| During the 1900s and early 1910s, Roerich, largely due to the influence of his wife Helena, developed an interest in eastern religions, as well as alternative belief systems such as ]. Both Roerichs became avid readers of the Vedantist essays of ] and ], the poetry of ], and the '']''. The Roerichs' commitment to occult mysticism steadily increased. It was brought to a new pitch during World War I and the Russian revolutions of 1917, to which the couple, like many Russian intellectuals, attached apocalyptic significance. The influence of Theosophy, Vedanta, Buddhism, and other mystical strains of thought can be seen not only in many of his paintings, but in the many short stories and poems Roerich wrote before and after the 1917 revolutions, including the ''Flowers of Morya'' cycle, begun in 1907 and completed in 1921. | |||
| In 1897, Roerich graduated from Petersburg Academy of Arts. His graduation painting ''The Messenger'' was purchased by ], a famous collector of Russian art. ], a well-known critic of that time, highly appreciated this painting: "You certainly must visit Tolstoy ... let the great writer of Russian land himself promoted you in painters".<ref>N. Roerich. Diary Leaves. v. 2. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs. – 1995. – p. 88. ISBN 5-86988-041-1{{Please check ISBN|reason=Check digit (1) does not correspond to calculated figure.}}</ref> Meeting with ] determined the way of young Roerich.<ref name="ЖЗЛ36">Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V. P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. Series "Life of remarkable people". Moscow, ''Molodaya Gvardiya'' Publishing. – 1973. – p. 36{{ru icon}}</ref> Tolstoy said to him: "Have you an occasion to pass the fast river on boat? It is necessary always to drive upstream of that place where you need or river carries away you. Then in the field of moral requirements one must to drive always higher so the life all the same carries away. Let your messenger keeps the rudder very high then he sailed!<ref name="ЖЗЛ36" /> | |||
| ===Revolution, emigration, and the United States=== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] the Healer, 1916.]] | |||
| After the February Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the tsarist regime, Roerich, a political moderate who placed spiritual values and Russia's cultural heritage above ideology and party politics, played an active part in artistic politics. With ] and ], he participated in the so-called "Gorky Commission" and its successor organization, the Arts Union (SDI). Both attempted to focus the ]'s and ]'s attention on the need to form a coherent cultural policy and, most urgently, protect art and architecture from destruction and vandalism. At the same time, however, illness forced Roerich to leave the capital and reside in Karelia, the district bordering Finland. He had already resigned the chair of the World of Art society, and he now gave up the directorship of the School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After the October Revolution and the rise to power of Lenin's Bolshevik Party, Roerich grew increasingly discouraged about Russia's political future. In early 1918, he, Helena, and their two sons George and Sviatoslav emigrated to Finland. | |||
| Two unresolved historical debates are associated with Roerich's departure. First, it is often claimed that Roerich was a leading candidate to head a people's commissariat of culture (the Soviet equivalent of a ministry of culture) which the Bolsheviks considered establishing in 1917-1918, but that he refused to take up the post. In fact, Benois was the most likely pick to lead any such commissariat. It appears that Roerich was a preferred choice to run its department of artistic education; the point is rendered moot by the fact that the Soviets elected not to establish such a commissariat. Second, when he wished to reconcile with the USSR, Roerich later maintained that he had not left Soviet Russia deliberately, but that he and his family, living in Karelia, had been cut off from their homeland when civil war broke out in Finland. However, Roerich's extreme hostility to the Bolshevik regime - prompted not so much by a dislike of communism as by his revulsion at Lenin's ruthlessness and his fear that Bolshevik rule would lead to the destruction of Russia's artistic and architectural heritage - was amply documented. He illustrated ]'s anti-communist polemic "S.O.S." and had a widely published pamphlet, "Violators of Art" (1918-1919). Roerich believed that "the triumph of Russian culture would come about through a new appreciation of ancient myth and legend".<ref>{{cite book | last = Bowlt | first = John E. | title = Moscow and St. Petersburg 1900-1920: Art, Life and Culture | publisher = The Vendome Press | date = 2008 | location = New York | pages = 69 | isbn =978-0-86565-191-3}}</ref> | |||
| Words of St. ] who often visited the house of Roerich's family also became spiritual wishes Roerich: "Don't be ailing! You will work much for the Motherland".<ref>N. Roerich. Diary Leaves. V. 3. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs. – 1996. – p.242. ISBN 5-86988-056-4</ref> | |||
| ]. Peaks and passes named in honor of the Roerich family]] | |||
| Roerich worked much in the genre of historical painting. In early period he created the following canvases: ''Elders Coming Together'' (1898), ''Lamentations of Yaroslav's Daughter'' (1893), ''Beginning of the Russia. The Slavs'' (1896), ''Idols'' (1901), ''Building of Boats'' et al. Roerich's original talent and pioneer search in the art were manifested in these paintings. ''Distinctive Roerich's style became already clear in the earliest paintings. It consists in Roerich's broad approach to composition, clarity of lines, laconism, color purity, musicality, great simplicity of expression and truthfulness.<ref>Rudzitis R.Ya. "Peace through Culture". p. 22</ref> His paintings were built on deep knowledge of historical material; they reproduce the feeling of spirit of the times and were rich for philosophical content.<ref>Belikov P. F., Knyazeva V. P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. – Samara, 1996. – 3rd edition, supplemented. – p. 57{{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| After some months in Finland and Scandinavia, the Roerichs moved on to ], arriving in mid-1919. Fully engrossed in Theosophical mysticism, the Roerichs were now consumed by millenarian expectations that a new age was imminent, and they wished to reach India as soon as possible. They joined the English-Welsh chapter of the Theosophical Society. It was in London, in March 1920, that the Roerichs founded their own school of occult thinking, '']'', which they also referred to as "the system of living ethics." To earn passage to India, Roerich worked as a stage designer for ]'s ], but the enterprise collapsed in 1920, and the artist never received full payment for his work. | |||
| At the age of 24, Roerich became an assistant director of the Emperor's Art Encouragement Society Museum and, at the same time, editor assistant of the art magazine ''Isskustvo i khudozhestvennaya promishlennost'' (''The Art and Art Industry''). Three years later he was appointed a secretary of the Emperor's Art Encouragement Society.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| Luckily, a successful exhibition led to an invitation from a director at the ], offering to arrange for Roerich's art to tour the United States. In the fall of 1920, the Roerichs set sail for America. Among the notable people Roerich befriended while in England were the famed British Buddhist ], philosopher-author ], and the poet and Nobel laureate ] (whose grand-niece ] would later marry Roerich's son Sviatoslav). | |||
| In 1899, he met Helena Ivanovna Shaposhnikova. Their wedding took place in October, 1901. In 1902, their son George was born, a future scientist and orientalist, and in 1904 Svetoslav, a future painter and public figure.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1903–1904, Roerich made, together with his wife, a trip through Russian old cities. They visited more than 40 cities famous for their ancient monuments. The aim of this "trip over the ancient times" was to study Russian ancient culture. The trip resulted to not only a large series of paintings (about 90 sketches), but also Roerich's articles, in which he was one of the first to raise the issue of a great artistic value of old Russian icon painting and architecture.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| The Roerichs remained in the United States from October 1920 to May 1923. A large exhibition of Roerich's art, organized in part by U.S. impresario Christian Brinton and in part by the Chicago Art Institute, opened in New York in December 1920 and toured the country, to ] and back, in 1921 and early 1922. Roerich befriended acclaimed soprano ] of the ] and received a commission to design a 1922 production of ]'s '']'' for her. During the exhibition, the Roerichs spent significant amounts of time in Chicago, New Mexico, and California. | |||
| ] | |||
| They settled in New York City, which became the base of their many American operations. The Roerichs founded several institutions during these years: ''Cor Ardens'' and ''Corona Mundi'', both of which were meant to unite artists around the globe in the cause of civic activism; the ], an art school with an exceptionally versatile curriculum, and the eventual home of the first ]; and an American Agni Yoga Society. They also joined various theosophical societies, and their activities in these groups dominated their lives. | |||
| Roerich worked as a painter in the field of easel, monumental painting (frescoes, mosaics) and also theatrical-decorative. In 1906, he created 12 sketches for the church in Golubev's estate Parkhomovka near Kiev, sketches for Pochaev lavra mosaic (1910), 4 sketches for wall paintings of a chapel in Pskov (1913), 12 pictures for Livshiz's villa in Nice (1914). In 1914, he designed a Holy Spirit church in Talashkino (including compositions such as ''Heavenly Queen'' et al.).{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| ===Asian Expedition (1925-1928)=== | |||
| Roerich's multi-faceted talent brightly showed itself in his works for theatre productions: ''Snow Maiden'', '']'', ''Princess Malen'', ''Valkyrie'' among others. During ]'s famous ''Russian Seasons'', Roerich designed for ''Polovets Dances'' from Borodin's ''Prince Igor'', ''Pskovityanka'' by Rimsky-Korsakov, and the ballet ''Sacred Spring'', better known as ], to ]'s music.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| After leaving New York, the Roerichs - together with their son George and six friends - went on the five-year long 'Roerich Asian Expedition' that, in Roerich's own words: ''"started from Sikkim through Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the Karakoram Mountains, Khotan, Kashgar, Qara Shar, Urumchi, Irtysh, the Altai Mountains, the Oryot region of Mongolia, the Central Gobi, Kansu, Tsaidam, and Tibet"'' with a detour through Siberia to Moscow in 1926. Roerichs' Asian expedition attracted anxious attention from the foreign services and intelligence agencies of the USSR, the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Between the summer of 1927 and June of 1928 the expedition was thought to be lost, since all contact from them ceased for a year. They had been attacked in Tibet and only the ''"Superiority of our firearms prevented bloodshed... In spite of our having Tibet passports, the expedition was forcibly stopped by Tibetan authorities."'' The expedition was detained by the government for five months, and forced to live in tents in sub-zero conditions and to subsist on meagre rations. Five men of the expedition died at this time. In March of 1928 they were allowed to leave Tibet, and trekked south to settle in ], where they founded a research center, the Himalayan Research Institute. | |||
| Epoch of Silver Age where Roerich began his creative development was the epoch of spiritual rise and that undoubtedly affects on formation of artist's person. Galaxy of outstanding thinkers such as ], E. N. Trubetskoi, V.V. Rozanov, P. A. Florensky, S. N.Bulgakov, N. A. Berdyayev et al. brought in Russian culture a deep philosophical thought and saturated it with intensive search of purport of life and morale ideals. Eastern culture was of special interest for Russian intellectuals.<ref>Belikov P. F., Knyazeva V. P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. (in Russian) – Samara, 1996. – Third Edition, supplemented. – P. 81.</ref> In search of universal values Roerich besides of Russian philosophy studied also Eastern philosophy, works of outstanding Indian thinkers Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, and the works of ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| Acquaintance with Oriental philosophic thought got reflection in Roerich's creative work. While the core subjects of the artist's earlier paintings were ancient pagan Russia, colorful images of the folk epos (''They Build a City'', ''Ominous'', ''Guests from Overseas'', etc.), starting already from the middle of the 1905, many of his canvases and literary pieces were devoted to India (''Lakshmi'', ''Indian Path'', ''Krishna'', ''Indian Dreams'' etc.). Roerich as painter and scientist was interested in ancient cultures of Russia and India and their common origin. A correlation between temporal categories of past, present and future was of great importance for his historical concept. Roerich measured the past and the present by the future: "... when we call for study of the past, then will do it only for the sake of future".<ref>Shaposhnikova L.V. From Altai to Himalayas. – Moscow, 1998. – p.24. {{ru icon}}</ref> "Let's put the steps of future from ancient wonderful stones".<ref>N. Roerich. Diary Leaves. V. 2. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs. – 1995. – p.58.</ref> | |||
| ===Cultural work=== | |||
| From 1906 to 1918, Roerich was a Director of the School of Emperor's Art Encouragement Society and at the same time he was busy with teaching. From this time the artist was a permanent participant of foreign exhibitions. Paris, Venice, Berlin, Roma, Brussels, Vienna saw his paintings. They were purchased by Roman National Museum, Louvre and other European museums.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| In 1929 Nicholas Roerich was nominated for the ] by the ].<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Roerich Nominated for Peace Award |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0911F8385A127A93C1A91788D85F4D8285F9 |quote=|work=] |date=March 3, 1929 |accessdate=2009-02-03 }}</ref> He received two more nominations in 1932 and 1935.<ref></ref> His concern for peace led to his creation of the ], the "]" of art and culture. His work in this area also led the United States and the twenty other members of the ] to sign the ] on ], ] at the White House. The Roerich Pact is an early international instrument protecting cultural property. | |||
| ] ] was a frequent correspondent and sometime follower of Roerich's teachings. This became controversial when Wallace ran for President in 1948 and portions of the letters were printed by ] columnist ]. | |||
| From 1906, in Roerich's creativity begun new more mature period. Roerich changed an approach to historical theme. History, mythology, folklore were turned into sources, from which the artist got the material for metaphoric graphic language.<ref>Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. – Samara, 1996. – Third Edition, supplemented. – P. 71. {{ru icon}}</ref> Realism and symbolism were combined in his art. In this period, Roerich intensified a search in the field of color. He almost abandoned the oil and passed to temper method. He experimented many with paints composition, used a method of superposition of one color on another. Originality of Roerich's art was mentioned by artistic critique. From 1907 to 1918, nine monographs and several tens of artistic magazines devoted to Roerich's art were published in Russia and Europe.<ref>N. Roerich. Diary Leaves. V. 1. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs. – 1995. – p.33.</ref> Leonid Andreyev figuratively named a world, created by the artist, as ''Roerich's Empire''.<ref>Leonid Andreev. / Collected Articles. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank. – 2004. – p.38. ISBN 5-86988-148-X {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| ==Cultural references== | |||
| In 1909, Roerich was elected as ] of Russian Academy of Arts and a member of ] in France.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| ] referred to the "strange and disturbing paintings of Nicholas Roerich" in his Antarctic horror story '']''. | |||
| ==Legacy== | |||
| From 1910, he became the head of artistic association "World of Art", in which were A. Benois, L. Bakst, I. Grabar, V. Serov, K. Petrov-Vodkin, B. Kustodiev, A. Ostroumova-Lebedeva, Z. Serebryakova et al. | |||
| ] | |||
| Today, the ] in New York City is a major center for Roerich's artistic work. Numerous Roerich societies continue to promote his theosophical teachings worldwide. His paintings can be seen in several museums including the Roerich Department of the State Museum of Oriental Arts in Moscow; the Roerich Museum at the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow; the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia; a collection in the ] in ]; a collection in the Art Museum in ], Russia; a collection in the Art Museum in ], Russia; the Roerich Hall Estate in Nagar village, Kulu Valley, Himachal-Pradesh (India); in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works in ]. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| "Greatest intuitionist of the century", according to expression of A.M. Gorky, Roerich expressed his forebodings on the eve of the First World War in symbolic images: ''Fairest City is the Enemies' Vexation'', ''The Last Angel'', ''Glow'', ''Human Works'' et al. These paintings demonstrate both a theme of struggle between two sides – Light and Darkness, which runs through the whole Roerich's art, and human's responsibility for its own destiny and the whole of world. Roerich not only created the paintings of anti-war orientation, but also written the articles devoted to protection of peace and culture.<ref>Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. Series "Life of Remarkable People". Moscow, ''Molodaya Gvardiya'' Publishing. – 1972. {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| In 1915, Roerich made a report to Emperor ] and Grand Prince Nikolai Nikolayevich (Younger) containing a call to take serious measures for national protection of cultural treasures. | |||
| In 1916, because of serious illness of lungs, following the doctor's insistence Roerich together with his family moved to ], ] on the shore of ]. Proximity to St. Petersburg allowed him to take part in the work of School of Emperor's Art Encouragement Society.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| On March 4, 1917, after a month of the February revolution, M. Gorky called in his apartment a group of painters, writers and actors, including Roerich, A. Benois, ], Dobuzhinskii, Petrov-Vodkin, Schuko, and Shalyapin. On the meeting they elected a Committee for arts affairs. Gorky was elected as a head of this Committee and Benois and Roerich were elected as assistants of the head. The Committee examined the questions of art development in Russia and protection of old relics and monuments.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} | |||
| ===Cultural and enlightener activities in Europe and America=== | |||
| ] | |||
| After revolution events in 1917 Finland had closed a border with Russia and Roerich with his family turned out isolated from Motherland. | |||
| In 1919, having received an invitation from Sweden, Roerich traveled with exhibitions around Scandinavian countries, and in autumn of the same year, on Diaghilev’s invitation, he designed Russian operas to the music of M. Mussorgsky and A. Borodin in London. | |||
| In 1920, Roerich got an invitation from the Director of the ] to organize a big exhibition tour around 30 cities of the United States. Among 115 his paintings the following were exhibited: "Angel’s treasure” (1905), "The last angel” (1912), "Viking’s daughter” (1917), "Call of the sun” (1918), "Ecstasy” (1917), series "Heroism” and "Dreams of the East” et al. The exhibitions were a great success. In America, Roerich created the following series: "Sancta”, "New Mexico”, Ocean’s suite”, "Dreams of wisdom” et al. | |||
| In America he had found the cultural and enlightener organizations, which became a great cultural centers and consolidated around them many prominent art figures. On November, 1921, the Master Institute of United Arts was opened in New York. Its main purpose was to bring peoples together through culture and art. | |||
| Almost at the same time, artists association "Cor Ardens” ("Blazing Hearts”) was established in Chicago, and in 1922, the International Cultural Center "Corona Mundi” ("Crown of the World”) appeared. In November, 1923, the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York was opened. It contained a rich collection of the artist’s paintings. | |||
| ===Central-Asian Expedition=== | |||
| ] | |||
| For many years, ] ] had been closely associated with Roerich. According to ], "Wallace's search for inner light took him to strange prophets.... It was in this search that he encountered Nicholas Roerich, a Russian emigre, painter, theosophist. Wallace did Roerich a number of favors, including sending him on an expedition to Central Asia presumably to collect drought-resistant grasses. In due course, H.A. became disillusioned with Roerich and turned almost viciously against him." | |||
| A more traditional version is that sale of the paintings, fees for theatric performances, publication of numerous articles, gain from activity of American cultural and enlightener organizations gave Roerich a possibility to accomplish a scientific expedition in Central Asia. On December 2, 1923, Roerich and his family arrived in India, which attracted the attention of Roerich not only as a painter, but as a scientist interested in a number of questions related to ancient peoples’ world migrations, and the search for a common source of Slavic and Indian cultures. From here a path of the expedition in hard-to-reach areas of Central Asia was begun. Later Roerich wrote: "Besides artistic tasks of our expedition we have intended to clarify a situation with relics of the past of Central Asia, to observe modern state of religion, customs, and to register the traces of great migration of peoples. This last task was always close to me.” The expedition’s extremely difficult itinerary ran through Sikkim, Kashmir, Ladakh, China (Sintzian), Russia (including Moscow), Siberia, Altai, Mongolia, Tibet, and unstudied areas of the Trans Himalayas. The expedition was continued from 1924 to 1928. Having realized Przewalski and Kozlov’s dream, Roerich's expedition became a triumph of Russian studies in Central Asia. In terms of its itinerary's uniqueness and collected materials, it can justly claim a special place among major expeditions of the 20th century.<ref name="Мастер">L.V.Shaposhnikova. The great traveling. Book 1. Master. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, 1998. – 624 p. with pictures. ISBN 5-86988-064-5</ref><ref>, which was held in International Centre of the Roerichs from October, 9 to 11, 2008.</ref> | |||
| Archeological and ethnographical investigations in unexplored Asian areas were conducted. For the first time, dozens of new mountain peaks and passes were marked on maps, rarest manuscripts were found, richest linguistic materials and folkloric works were collected, descriptions of local customs were made. During the expedition the books "Heart of Asia” and "Altai-Himalayas” were written, about five hundred paintings were created, on which the artist portrayed a panorama of the expedition's itinerary, a famous painting series "Himalayas” was begun, the series "Maytreya”, "Sikkim’s Path”, "His country”, "The Teaches of the East” ''et al.''<ref>L.V.Shaposhnikova. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank, 1998.</ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ===Institute of Himalayan Studies "Urusvati”=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Extensive scientific material, which had been collected by Roerich during the expedition, required systematization and treatment. After the expedition ended in July 1928, Roerich founded the "Urusvati” Institute of Himalayan Studies, in the Western Himalayas, ]. "Urusvati" means, in translation from Sanskrit, "Light of the Morning Star”. In this place, Kullu valley, Roerich lived the last period of his life. George Roerich, the elder son of Nicholas, became the director of the Institute. He directed ethnological and linguistic researches and also the reconnaissance for archeological monuments. In the Institute there were medical, zoological, botanical, biochemical and many other laboratories. Large work was conducted in the field of linguistics and Eastern philology. Rarest written sources of centuries-old remoteness were collected and translated into European languages; half-forgotten dialects were studied. Visiting specialists and acting workers collected botanical and zoological collections. | |||
| Tens of scientific institutions from Asia, Europe and America collaborated with the "Urusvati” Institute. Scientific materials from Kullu arrived at the University of Michigan, New York’s Botanical Garden, University of Punjab, Paris Museum of natural history, Harvard University in Cambridge, and the botanical garden of USSR Academy of Sciences. Famous Soviet botanist and geneticist academician ] appealed to the "Urusvati” Institute for scientific information and received from thence the seeds for his outstanding botanical collection. Famous scholars, such as ], ], ], ], and others also collaborated with the Institute.<ref name="Мастер" /><ref> // Russian Philosophy. Dictionary / Edited by M. Maslin. – Moscow, "Terra – Book club”; "Respublika”, 1999. -656 p.ISBN 5-250-02707-5 ISBN 5-300-02569-0</ref> | |||
| ===Manchurian expedition=== | |||
| In 1934–1935, Roerich conducted an expedition in Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and China, organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The expedition's purpose was to collect seeds of plants which prevent the destruction of benign layers of soil. In foresight of the threat of ecological disaster, Roerich in that year wrote: | |||
| "Owing to ignorant and uncontrolled felling of forests and vegetation on the whole the deserts are being extended to an ominous size. It is terrible to see more and more stretches of protective and useful ground surface viewed as a diminution of the landscape”. | |||
| The expedition consisted of two parts. The first itinerary included ] mountain ridge and ] plateau (1934); the second encompassed the ], ] and ]{{Disambiguation needed|date=March 2012}} (1935). These expeditions passed through a territory of Inner Mongolia located in northern and northeastern parts of modern-day China. As a result of the expedition, nearly 300 species of xerophytes were found, herbs were collected, archeological studies were conducted, and antique manuscripts of great scientific importance were found.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} | |||
| ===Roerich's Pact and Banner of Peace=== | |||
| ]) ]] | |||
| In his philosophic and artistic essays, Roerich created an absolutely new concept of culture based on the ideas of the Living Ethics. Culture, in Roerich's opinion, was closely related to the problems of cosmic evolution of mankind and was ''"a greatest foundation”'' for this process. He wrote: "Culture is based on Beauty and Knowledge”.<ref>Roerich N.K. // Culture and civilization. Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, 1994. – P.60. {{ru icon}}.</ref> And he repeated Dostoevsky’s well-known phrase with a little remark: "Awareness of Beauty saves the world”. Beauty becomes known to people through Culture only, and its integral part is creation. Books of Living Ethics created at closest participation of Roerich's also say about this. Helena Ivanovna wrote and Nikolas Konstantinovich represented the ideas of Living Ethics in artistic images. | |||
| Roerich included in the broad notion of Culture a synthesis of the best achievements of human spirit in the sphere of religious experience, science, art, education. Roerich formulated the principal difference between Culture and civilization. While Culture relates to the spiritual world of man in his creative self-expression, civilization is just external arrangement of human life in all its material, civil aspects. Identification of civilization and Culture, Roerich argued, leads to confusion between these two notions, to underestimation of the spiritual factor in the development of humanity. "Wealth in itself does not generate Culture. But broadened and subtler thinking and the sense of Beauty produce that subtlety, that nobility of spirit which are distinctive for a cultured person. It is this kind of person that can build the future of light for its country”. Proceeding from this, the mankind must not only develop Culture, but is also obliged to protect it. | |||
| In 1929, Roerich in collaboration with doctor of international law from Paris University G.G. Chklaver prepared a draft of an agreement dedicated to protection of cultural values (Roerich's Pact). Coupled with the Pact Roerich proposed a distinctive sign for identification of protected objects – Banner of Peace which was a white cloth containing a red ring and three red circles inscribed in it. The sign symbolized a unity of the past, present and future into the ring of eternity. In 1929, Roerich was nominated for the Nobel Prize for his international cultural activity and Pact initiation.<ref name="Премия Мира">Roerich nominated for Peace award // ''New York Times''. March 3, 1929, Sunday (Article on the website and )</ref> Let us cite a following quotation from appeal of committee for nomination of Nobel Prize candidates: | |||
| {{cquote|From 1890, N. Roerich in his books, lectures, studies, paints and many fields, in which his prominent person was manifested, actively explained a doctrine of international brotherhood. His advocacy of peace was accepted in more than 21 countries, and different cultural events, in which professor Roerich was invited to take part, indicated about its acceptance and influence. | |||
| Paintings of one of the greatest painters in the history reproduce the great beauty and spiritual light symbolized his doctrine. | |||
| We firmly believe that final and stable international peace is achieved only by enlightenment of the people and by permanent and impressive promotion of the brotherhood created by the culture, poetry and beauty in all fields of life. Roerich's works over a period of last thirty years are the great call to whole world: to love people each other.<ref name="Премия Мира" />}} | |||
| In 1930, text of draft agreement with accompanying Roerich's appeal to governments and peoples of all countries was published in press and distributed in government, scientific, artistic and educational institutions of the whole world.<ref>Peter Barenboim, Naeem Sidiqi, Bruges, the Bridge between Civilizations: 75 Anniversary of Roerich Pact, Grid Belgium, 2010, ISBN 978-5-98856-114-9</ref> As a result, the committees supporting the Pact were established in many countries. The draft pact was approved by Committee for museum affairs at League of Nations and also by Pan-American Union.<ref name="РИА"> / Advertising news agency "Novosti”, 15 April 2008.</ref> | |||
| The first and second paragraphs of the Pact run as follows: | |||
| {{cquote|"The historic Monuments, educational, artistic and scientific Institutions, artistic and scientific Missions, the personnel, the property and collections of such Institutions and Missions above mentioned shall be deemed neutral and, as such, shall be protected and respected by belligerents. The Monuments, Institutions, Collections and Missions thus registered may display a distinctive nag (red circle with a triple red sphere in the circle on a white background) which will entitle them to the special protection and respect on the part of the belligerents, of Governments and Peoples of all the High Contracting Parties.<ref>Banner of Peace. Collected works. – Second Edition, supplemented and revised. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, 2005. -644 p. with pictures. (Great Roerich's Library). ISBN 5-86988-161-7</ref>}} | |||
| ] emblem and symbol of Banner of Peace</center>]] | |||
| Roerich's Pact has large educational value. ''"A pact for protection of cultural treasures is not only needed as an official body, but as an educational law that, from the very first school days, will educate the young generation with noble ideas of preservation of the whole mankind’s true values”'',<ref>Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. Series "Life of remarkable people” {{ru icon}}. Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya” Publishing. – 1973. – Second Edition.</ref> – wrote N. Roerich. | |||
| Idea of the Pact was welcomed by R. Rolland, B. Shaw, R. Tagore, A. Einstein, T. Mann, H. Wells et al. | |||
| The Pact was signed in the White House in Washington, on April 15, 1935 with the participation of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Originally, the document was ratified by 21 countries of the American continent. Later the Pact was validated by 15 countries more. | |||
| Roerich's Pact became the first international act especially devoted to protection of cultural values. It was unique agreement in this field, which was accepted by a part of international community before second World War.<ref name="РИА" /> | |||
| ] | |||
| In a few years after the war, Roerich's Pact played an important role in forming of international law standards and public activity in the field of protection of cultural heritage. In 1949, on forth session of general ] conference a decision was accepted to begin the work for international law regulation in the field of cultural heritage protection in case of armed conflict.<ref name="РИА" /> | |||
| In 1954, Roerich's Pact was laid in the basis for the Hague "International Convention for Protection of Cultural Values in the Event of Armed Conflict”,<ref name="РИА" /> and suggested by N. Roerich special flag, the Banner of Peace, declaring all treasures of culture and art inviolable objects, until today streams above many cultural and educational institutions all over the world. | |||
| Ideas of the Pact were reflected in Roerich's art. Banner of Peace symbol one can see in many his paintings of thirties. The painting "Madonna Oriflamma” was especially devoted to the Pact. | |||
| ===Second World War. Service to Russia=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Being in India, Roerich from very first days of Second World War used all opportunities to help Russia. Together with his younger son Svyatoslav Roerich he organized exhibitions and sales of paintings, transferring all gains to the Soviet Red Cross fund and Red Army. He published articles in press; spoke on the radio in support of soviet people. | |||
| In those formidable years for Russia, the painter turned again to the subject of native land in his creative work. In that period, he created a whole series of paintings – "Prince Igor campaign”, "Alexander Nevsky”, "Partisans”, "Victory”, "Heroes have awaken” and others, in which used the images of the Russian history, predicting the Russian people’s victory against the fascism. | |||
| {{cquote|Everyone who takes up arms against Russian people will feel that on his backbone. It is not a threat but millennial history of the peoples said this. Various wreckers and enslavers have rebounded but Russian people in its vast virgin lands ploughed the new treasures. It is the custom. History keeps the proves for higher justice which many times already says: "Don’t touch that!”.<ref> | |||
| N. Roerich // "Zazhigaite serdtsa!” Collected works. Second Edition. – Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya” Publishing, 1978. – 208 p. with pictures.</ref>|30px||N. Roerich "Ne zamai!” (Don’t touch that!), 1940}} | |||
| ], ], Nicholas Roerich, M. Yunus. (Roerich's estate, Kullu)]] | |||
| Roerich's "Leafs of diary” contains many pages devoted to the war and labour deeds of the Soviet people. | |||
| In 1942, before the Battle of Stalingrad, Roerich received at his house in Kullu the fighter for India’s independence ] and his daughter ]. Together they discussed a fate of new world, in which long-awaited freedom of enslaved peoples will triumph. ''"We spoke about Indian-Russian cultural association'', – Roerich wrote, – ''it is time to think about useful and creative cooperation ...”''.<ref>N. Roerich. Diary Leaves. V. 3. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs. – 1996. – p.39. ISBN 5-86988-056-4</ref> Gandhi remembered about several days stayed together with Roerich's family: ''"That was memorable visit to endowed and surprising family where each ''per se'' was remarkable figure with well-defined range of interests. N. Roerich himself stays in my memory. He was a man with extensive knowledge and enormous life experience, a man with big heart, penetrated deeply all that he observed”''. During the visit ''"ideas and thoughts about closer cooperation between India and USSR were expressed. Now, after India wins independence, they have got its own real implementation. And as you know, today between our countries there are relations of friendship and mutual understanding''”.<ref name="Индира Ганди"> | |||
| / Roerich's Empire. (Derzhava Rerikhov) (in Russian). / Collected Articles. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank. – 2004. – p.65. ISBN 5-86988-148-X</ref> | |||
| When fascist forces occupied extensive Soviet territories, Roerich made a request for his workers to serve for mutual understanding between Russia and the U.S.. In 1942, American-Russian cultural Association (ARCA) was created in New York. Its active participants were ], ], ], ], S. Koussevitzky, P. Heddas, V. Tereshchenko. Association’s activity was welcomed by world-known scientists R. Milliken and A. Compton. | |||
| ===Last years=== | |||
| ]]] | |||
| The Russian painter’s world recognition is confirmed by the fact that more than a hundred institutes, academies, scientific corporations, cultural institutions in the whole world have chosen their honorary and full member. In India itself, famous Indian philosophers, scientists, writers, public figures were personally acquainted with Nicholas Roerich. | |||
| In India Roerich continued to work at "Himalayas” series which includes more than two thousands paintings. Mountain world was a source of inexhaustible inspiration for the painter. Art critics noted a new direction in Roerich's creativity and called him "Master of mountains”. In India N. Roerich created the following series: "Shambala”, "Chingis-Khan”, "Kuluta”, "Kullu”, "Saint mountains”, "Tibet”, Ashrams” etc. Artist’s exhibitions were held in many Indian cities and attracted many people.<ref>Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. {{ru icon}} – Samara, 1996. – Third Edition, supplemented. – P. 180.</ref> | |||
| Roerich always remained a patriot and a Russian citizen, only holding one passport – Russian. He never gave up the thought of coming back to his motherland. Right after the end of the war, the artist applied for a visa to enter the Soviet Union. But on December 13, 1947, he died, without knowing that he was denied the visa.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} | |||
| In Kullu valley, at the place of the funeral fire, a big rectangular stone was installed on which the following inscription was carved:<br /> | |||
| <center>"Here, on December 15, 1947, the body of Maharishi Nicholas Roerich – a great Russian friend of India – was committed to fire. <br /> Let there be peace”.</center> | |||
| {| | |||
| | | |||
| <div style="font-size: 135%; background:#B0C4DE; color: white;"><center>'''N. Roerich's precept'''</center></div> | |||
| <div style="font-size: 110%; background:#EFEFF1; black: white;"> | |||
| {{cquote|Let love your country. Let love Russian people. Let love all the peoples on whole immense scopes of our Motherland. Let this love teaches us to love the whole mankind. . Let love the Motherland by all your strength, and it will love you. We are rich by Motherland’s love. Give us broader way! The builder goes! Russian people go!.<ref>Roerich. Precept. (Zavet) {{ru icon}} // "Zazhigaite serdtsa!” Collected works. Second Edition. – Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya” Publishing, 1978. – 208 p. with pictures. | |||
| Завет // Зажигайте сердца! Сборник. Изд. 2-е. М., Молодая Гвардия, 1978, 208 с. с ил.</ref>}} | |||
| </div> | |||
| |} | |||
| ==International Centre of the Roerichs== | |||
| ] | |||
| In 1990, Svetoslav Roerich, younger son of Nicholas and Helena Roerich, implementing the parents will, has transferred to Soviet Roerich's Foundation (now International Centre of the Roerichs (ICR)) a richest heritage of his family. Due to L. V. Shaposhnikova, noted scientist, writer, ] of Russian Academy of Nature Sciences, and Yu.M. Vorontsov, ] Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia, more than 400 paintings, archives, ] and Roerich's family antiquities were imported to motherland. This heritage became a base for public Museum by name of Nicholas Roerich, opened in Moscow. S.N. Roerich has chosen for future museum an ancient mansion of the Lopukhins. On February 12, 1993, first museum exhibition was opened in this building. | |||
| In the Museum halls, annual International conferences, dedicated to important issues of culture and science with participation of well-known scientists and public figures from Russia, CIS, Germany, USA, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico and other countries are held. These conferences devoted to important problems of culture and science.<ref></ref> So, in 2005, the Conference was devoted to seventieth anniversary of Roerich's Pact signing,<ref></ref> and in 2008 – eightieth anniversary of Roerich's Central-Asian Expedition. | |||
| Exhibitions of modern painters-cosmists, concerts of classical music, children’s drawing competitions, festivals of ethnic culture, exhibitions of folk crafts and creative function events are organized. ]” to the Speaker of Indian Parliament Somnath Chatterjee on the occasion of S. N. Roerich 100th anniversary. From left to right: Hero of Russian Federation S. Zalyotin, V. Afanasiev, Sri Somnath Chatterdgi, ], President of ICR]] | |||
| Lectures dedicated to Roerich's heritage, philosophy, history, culture and pedagogy are conducted by leading specialists from Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Moscow State University and scientific associates of International Centre of the Roerichs. ICR cooperates actively with many cultural, state and public organizations including international ones, organizes traveling exhibitions of Nicholas and Svetoslav Roerich's canvases through CIS countries. | |||
| Due to its active work, International Centre of the Roerichs as non-governmental organization has received a status of associated member of Public information Department of U.N.O. | |||
| General Director of Museum by name of N. Roerich is the Honored Worker of Arts of Russian Federation, Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after the K.E. Tsiolkovsky and Russian Ecological Academy, Editor-in-Chief of "Culture and Time" journal, Ludmila Vassilyevna Shaposhnikova.<ref> – article in the Encyclopedia "Best people of Russia” {{ru icon}} | |||
| : — {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| On June 17, 2008 the International Centre of the Roerichs has concluded a treaty for creative collaboration with an institute of natural science history and techniques named after S.I. Vavilov of Russian Academy of Sciences (INSHT RAS). The treaty provides for cooperation through wide range of problems related to research in the field of Roerich's study and cosmic thinking. This range includes consultations for seekers of candidate’s and doctor’s degrees, reception for defense of candidate’s and doctor’s dissertations related to Roerich's study and cosmic thinking on Academic Senate of INSHT.<ref></ref> | |||
| ==World recognition== | |||
| In opinion of Academician of ] ], ''"N. Roerich was a world-famous devotee of culture”''.<ref name="Высказывания ученых"> / "Lets protect the names and heritage of the Roerichs” ("Zaschitim imya i nasledie Rerikhov”) (in Russian) V.3. Documents, publications, essays. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, 2005.- 1094 p. ISBN 5-86988-159-5</ref> Roerich's many-sided cultural activities are recognized by awards from many governments of the world, and also by the titles of honor given him by scientific, public and cultural institutions, whose founder, protector, president and full member he was. | |||
| ===Awards=== | |||
| * ] (Russia) | |||
| * ] (Russia) | |||
| * ] (Russia) | |||
| * ] (Serbia) | |||
| * Chevalier of the ] (France) | |||
| * Chevalier of the ] | |||
| ===List of institutions in which N. Roerich was a member=== | |||
| # Full member of Russian Academy of Arts. | |||
| # Founder of Institute of United Arts in New York, USA. | |||
| # Founder of International Cultural Centre "Corona Mundi”, USA. | |||
| # Honorary director of Museum named after N. Roerich in New York and its branches in Europe, America and Eastern countries. | |||
| # Full Member of Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb. | |||
| # Full member of Portuguese Academy, Coimbra. | |||
| # Full member of Reims Academy, France. | |||
| # Full member of International institute of science and literature, Bologna, Italy. | |||
| # Honorary member of Committee on Culture, Buenos Aires, Argentina. | |||
| # Vice-President of Mark Twain Society, USA. | |||
| # Vice-President of American Institute of Archeology, USA. | |||
| # Honorary member of Enlightener Society of Varanasi, India. | |||
| # Honorary member of More Society, France. | |||
| # Member of Red Cross, France. | |||
| # Member of Society for antiquities study, France. | |||
| # Lifelong member of Federation of French painters, France. | |||
| # Member of Autumnal salon, Paris. | |||
| # Lifelong member of antiquarian society, Paris. | |||
| # Honorary president of International Union for Roerich's Pact support, Bruges. | |||
| # Honorary protector of Historical Society at Academy, Paris. | |||
| # Honorary President of Roerich Society in France, Paris. | |||
| # Member-Founder of Ethnographical Society, Paris. | |||
| # Honorary President of Academy named after Roerich, New York. | |||
| # Honorary President of Society for cultural progress "Flamma”, Indiana State, USA. | |||
| # Honorary President of Roerich Society in Philadelphia, USA. | |||
| # Honorary Member of Society for historical sites protection, New York. | |||
| # Honorary President of Latvian Roerich Society, Riga. | |||
| # Honorary President of Roerich Societies in Lithuania, Yugoslavia, China. | |||
| # Honorary member of Institute named after S. Ch. Bos, Calcutta. | |||
| # Member of J. Bose Institute, India. | |||
| # Member of Nagati Prachari Sabkha, India. | |||
| # Lifelong member of King’s Asian Society in Bengali, Calcutta. | |||
| # Lifelong member of Society "Art of the East”, Calcutta. | |||
| # Honorary President and doctor of literature of International institute for Buddhism study in San Francisco, California. (International Buddhism Institute, USA). | |||
| # Honorary member of Russian Museum of history and culture, Prague, Czechoslovakia. | |||
| # Honorary member of Luzas Society, Paris. | |||
| # Honorary member of League for Art Defense, Paris. | |||
| # Protector of Cultural Society, Amritsara, India. | |||
| # Member-benefactor of Association for international research, Paris. | |||
| # Honorary member of Field Association, S.-Luis, USA. | |||
| # Honorary member of Braurveda Society, Java. | |||
| # Honorary member of National Association of Natural Medicine in America, Los-Angeles, USA. | |||
| # Honorary President of Centre of Arts and Culture, Allahabad, India. | |||
| # President of League of Culture, USA. | |||
| # Honorary President of American-Russian cultural Association in New York, USA. | |||
| and many others institutions and societies. | |||
| ===Minor planet "Roerich”=== | |||
| ] | |||
| On October 15, 1969 a minor planet of Solar System was discovered by astronomers of Crimea astrophysical observatory Nikolai Stepanovich and Lyudmila Ivanovna Chernikh. This planet was named in honor of Roerichs family. It was numbered 4426.<ref name="Малая планета"> | |||
| / "Lets protect the names and heritage of the Roerichs” ("Zaschitim imya I nasledie Rerikhov”) (in Russian) V.3. Documents, publications, essays. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, 2005.- 1094 p | |||
| ─ on ] website.</ref> | |||
| "Crimea astrophysical observatory, which is participant of international program for observation and research of minor planets, hereby indicates that a minor planet discovered in Crimea astrophysical observatory and numbered 4426 in international catalogue, was named "Roerich” in honor of the family of eminent Russian cultural workers” – was told in discovery certificate.<ref name="Малая планета" /> | |||
| ]. Peaks and passes named in honor of the Roerich family]] | |||
| On October, 1999 N.S Chernikh, in his speak in the ] named after Roerich devoted to this event of world importance, said: "A number of new minor]s were named in honor of dear for us names of the great Russian devotees, ]s, writers, ]s. Recently, a planet "Roerich” was appeared. Minor planets are as if eternal, not of human making ]s. This planet will be forever named after Roerichs. After a while, it will approaches to the ] . The name was approved by special committee of International astronomical union, consisting of eleven representatives from various countries. Name is accepted at unanimous opinion only. Appearance of minor planet "Roerich’ is evidence of international recognition of creativity and outstanding achievements of Roerichs”.<ref name="Малая планета" /> | |||
| ===Peak named after Roerich at Altai=== | |||
| On August 15, 1963 in the ] day of India the ]s from Tomsk V.Sirkin, G. Shvartsman, A. Ivanov, V. Petrenko, L. Spiridonov, G. Skryabin, V. Slyusarchuk, Yu. Salivon, D. Gusev, S. Lobanov have risen on nameless before ] ] and have named it by N. Roerich.<ref>Larichev V.E., Matochkin Ye.P. Roerich and Siberia. – Novosibirsk, 1993. – p.178.</ref> | |||
| ===Famous people about Roerich=== | |||
| {{Quotation|First of all we must immediately recall a well-known both in Russia and in India ] Nicholas Roerich. It is wonderful life, it is wonderful ], it is wonderful example of spiritual nearness, perhaps, not laying on the surface but nevertheless the spiritual nearness of our peoples.<ref> / Russian President’s official website. {{ru icon}}</ref></br> | |||
| Russia and India note the importance of preservation and support of an unique artistic and cultural heritage of Roerich's family, which has permanent significance for Russian-Indian friendship.<ref> | |||
| {{ru icon}}</ref>|], President of Russian Federation}} | |||
| {{Quotation|When I think about Nicholas Roerich, I am surprised by scope and richness of his activity and creative genius. Great ], great ] and writer, ] and ]er, he touched and elucidated so many aspects of human desires. Already the number of paintings itself is amazing – thousands of the paintings and each is a great art work. His paintings remind us many things from our life, our thinking, our cultural and spiritual heritage, and we feel that we are indebted to Nicholas Roerich, which reveals this spirit in his beautiful canvases.<ref name="book2"> / "Lets protect the names and heritage of the Roerichs” ("Zaschitim imya i nasledie Rerikhov”) (in Russian) V.1. – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank, 2001. {{ru icon}}</ref>|], prime minister of independent India}} | |||
| {{Quotation|His remarkable paintings amaze you by richness and subtle feeling of ] and, first of all, wonderfully reproduce mysterious greatness of Himalaya’s ]. And he oneself by his appearance and nature it seemed to some extent was filled with a soul of the great ]s. He was not verbose, but he radiated the restrained ], which as if filled with itself all surrounding ]. We held in high respect Nicholas Roerich for his wisdom and creative ]. We also highly appreciate he as a connecting link between Soviet Union and India. ... I think that paintings of Nicholas Roerich and his stories about India will transfer to soviet people a part of soul of their Indian ]s. I also know that N. Roerich and his ] in many respects contributed to that India had clearer notion about Soviet ].<ref name="Индира Ганди" />|From interview given by Indian prime minister ] to L. V. Shaposhnikova on October, 1975}} | |||
| {{Quotation|I am deeply excited by your paintings. Looking at it, I have understood one simple thing which would as if clear but which nevertheless needs to be discovered by me once more and more, namely, that the truth is eternal. Your art is endowed with features of exceptional originality because it is a great art.<ref name="book2" /> |], well-known Indian writer and philosopher}} | |||
| {{Quotation|I admire sincerely by Your art so much that I can say without exaggeration that never have landscapes made such a great impression on me.<ref name="book2" />|] (Letter to Roerich Museum, 1931)}} | |||
| {{Quotation|Rays transparent through Earth ], ] became brightly-orange, gradually turned into all rainbow ]s: blue, dark blue, purple, black. Unspeakable color range! Like at the canvas of the painter Nicholas Roerich.<ref>"Zazhigaite serdtsa!” Collected works. Second Edition. – Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya” Publishing, 1978. – p.24.</ref> |], cosmonaut. A record from the log book. April 12, 1961}} | |||
| ==Main works of Roerich== | |||
| # The art and archeology // Art and artistic industry. S. Petersburg, 1898. No 3; 1899, No 4-5. (in Russian) | |||
| # Some antiquities of Shelon’s region and Bezhets area. S. Petersburg, 1899. (in Russian) | |||
| # Stone age on the Pyros Lake. S. Petersburg, 1905. (in Russian) | |||
| # Collected works. Volume 1. Moscow, 1914. (in Russian) | |||
| # Paths of blessing. New York, 1924. | |||
| # Heart of Asia. Southbury, 1929. | |||
| # Realm of Light. Southbury, 1931. | |||
| # Fiery Stronghold. New York, 1933 | |||
| # The Banner of Peace. Harbin, 1934. | |||
| # Sacred Patrol. Harbin, 1934. | |||
| # Gates into the Future. Riga, 1936. (in Russian) | |||
| # Nerushimoe. Riga, 1936. (in Russian) | |||
| # Altai – Himalayas. Travel diary. Moscow, 1974. (in Russian) | |||
| # From the literary heritage. Moscow, 1974. (in Russian) | |||
| # The flowers of Moria. Poems. Moscow, 1984. (in Russian) | |||
| # The tales. Leningrad, 1991. (in Russian) | |||
| # Abode of light. Moscow, 1992. (in Russian) | |||
| # Let protect antiquities. Moscow, 1993. (in Russian) | |||
| # Ancient sources. Moscow, 1993. (in Russian) | |||
| # Painters of life. (in Russian) | |||
| # To young friend. (in Russian) | |||
| # Urusvati. (in Russian) | |||
| # East – West. (in Russian) | |||
| # Culture and Civilization. (in Russian) | |||
| # About the Great Patriotic War. (in Russian) | |||
| # Shambala. (in Russian) | |||
| # Soul of peoples. (in Russian) | |||
| # Diary leaves. (in Russian) | |||
| # Shambala. New York, 1930. | |||
| # Banner of Peace. New York, 1931. | |||
| # Himalayas — Abode of Light. Bombay, 1947. | |||
| # Adamant. New York, 1967. | |||
| ==Monuments and dedications== | |||
| ] at 319 West 107th Street on ]'s ].]] | |||
| * ] N.K. and H.I Roerichs was put up in Moscow, on territory of Lopukhin’s ] in front of the Museum named after N. Roerich.<ref> ICR website {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * One of the ]s in ]’s center was named in honor of N. Roerich.<ref> | |||
| Ozolinya M.R. / Newspaper "Sodruzhestvo”, N 4, March, 2002. {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * Since 1984, Museum-Mansion of N. Roerich worked in Izvara village of Leningrad’s region, where N. Roerich lived long time.<ref> | |||
| : — Cycle of TV programs "Small Museums of Saint—Petersburg” {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * S. Petersburg’s artistic school named after N.Roerich works in S. Petersburg.<ref> {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * In 1999, two commemorative coins devoted to 125th anniversary of N. Roerich birthday were issued by Bank of Russia. | |||
| * A motor ship "Painter Nicholas Roerich” was named in honor of N. Roerich.<ref> {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * In 2007, new airliner of "]” was named in honor of N. Roerich.<ref> {{ru icon}}</ref> | |||
| * Monument N.K. Roerichs was put up in St Petersburg, on Vasil'evsky Island in 2010. | |||
| * New species of ichneumonid wasp from Nepal was named after N. Roerich, ''Lathrolestes roerichi'' Reshchikov, 2011.<ref></ref> | |||
| ===Postage stamps containing images of Roerich and his creativity=== | |||
| * In 1974, the ] issued a marked envelope with N. Roerich's portrait against the background of his painting "Guests from overseas”. In the same year, a stamp with this painting image was issued. | |||
| * In 1974, India issued an anniversary stamp depicted the observe of commemorative medal, which was issued in Paris, 1929, and was devoted to 40th anniversary of N. Roerich's artistic, scientific and public activity. | |||
| * In 1977, USSR ministry of communications issued two stamps depicted a Church of Holy Spirit in Talashkino. A mosaic "Holy Face” over the entrance of this Church was made on N. Roerich's sketches. | |||
| * In 1978, Bulgaria issued a stamp depicted a fragment of N. Roerich's portrait, painted by S. N. Roerich. Besides the stamp, an envelope of first day was issued, and on April 5, 1978 at Sophia’s central post office a cancellation by postmark of the first day was made. | |||
| * In 1986, Mexico issued a stamp with coupon dedicated to International Year of Peace (Aňo Internacional de la Paz). The stamp contained a pictures of U.N.O emblem and a symbol of N. Roerich's Banner of Peace with signatures "ONU” (U.N.O) and "Pax Cultura” (Pact of Culture). | |||
| * In 1990, USSR issued two stamps dedicated to Soviet Foundation of Culture. One of them reproduced N. Roerich's painting "Unkrada” (1909), and another – a painting "Pskov-Pechori monastery”. | |||
| * In 1999, publishing centre "Marka” of Ministry of communication and mass media of Russia issued stamped envelope "Russian painter N.K. Roerich. 1874–1947” dedicated to his 125th anniversary. The stamp depicted a fragment of N. Roerich's portrait painted by S.N. Roerich in 1934. N. Roerich was painted against the background of his painting "Book of life”. | |||
| * In 2001, publishing centre "Marka” of Ministry of communication and mass media of Russia issued stamped envelope dedicated to International treaty for protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments (Roerich's Pact). Picture on the envelope shows a Roerich's painting "Pax Cultura. Banner of Peace” (1931). | |||
| * In 2003, Moldavia issued a stamp depicted the painting "Pax Cultura. Banner of Peace” (1931) like as at Russian stamp of the year 2001. | |||
| * In 2008, Russian publishing centre "Marka” issued an envelope dedicated to Central Asian expedition of N. Roerich (1923–1928).<ref> | |||
| on website of Publishing Centre "Marka”. | |||
| : — / Advertising news agency "Siberia”, 2009-01-12.</ref> | |||
| <!-- Today, the ] in New York City is a major center for Roerich's artistic work. His paintings can be seen in several museums including the Roerich Department of the State Museum of Oriental Arts in Moscow; the Roerich Museum at the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow; the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia; a collection in the ] in Moscow; a collection in the Art Museum in ], Russia; a collection in the Art Museum in ], Russia; the Roerich Hall Estate in Nagar village, Kulu Valley, Himachal-Pradesh (India); in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works in ]. --> | |||
| ===Peak of International Centre-Museum named after Roerich at Altai=== | |||
| From July, 16 to August 1, 2008 the International ] program was conducted. It was dedicated to 80th anniversary of Central-Asian expedition of Nicholas Roerich. Representatives of cultural community from Russia, ], ], Moscow, ], ], ], ], Velikii Novgorod, ], ], ], ], Andgero-Sudgensk, Kokhtla-Yarve, Pervomayskii and other cities took part in this program. | |||
| The participants of expedition program studied modern state of geocultural ] of ]. They went by Altai itineraries of Central-Asian expedition of N. Roerich and expedition of academician L.V.Shaposhnikova and conducted the photo fixing of Roerich's expedition itineraries. | |||
| During the expedition program two groups of ]s ascended to the nameless ] which they proposed to call in honor of International Centre-Museum named after N. Roerich.<ref> / website "Museums of the Russia” | |||
| : — / website "Museums of the Russia”. | |||
| : — S. Skorodumov. . Journal "Prime-Sphere” ("Praim-Sfera» in Russian), October, 2008. Website "Yaroslavia” of State organs of Yaroslavl region.</ref> | |||
| ==Dialogue and video recording with Roerich== | |||
| {| width=100 % align=center | |||
| |{{Listen | |||
| |filename = "About Shambala" N.Roerich.ogg | |||
| |title = N. K. Roerich. About Shambala | |||
| |description = Phonogram of 1929. | |||
| }} | |||
| | ] | |||
| |} | |||
| ==Sources== | |||
| ] | |||
| # Belikov P.F., Knyazeva V.P. Nikolai Ronstantinovich Roerich / Series "Life of outstanding people” (in Russian). Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya”, 1973. – 2-d Edition. | |||
| # Shaposhnikova L.V. The Great Travelling ("Velikoe puteshestvie”) (in Russian). Book 1. "Master” – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs – 1999. – 624 p. with pictures ISBN 5-86988-064-5 | |||
| # Shaposhnikova L.V. The Great Traveling ("Velikoe puteshestvie”) (in Russian). Third book "Master’s Universe”(Vselennaya Mastera) – Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs – 2005. – 1088 p. with pictures ISBN 5-86988-162-5 | |||
| # Shaposhnikova L.V. "Scientist, thinker, painter” (Uchenii, mislitel’, khudozhnik” (in Russian)) Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank. – 2006. – 192 p. with pictures. | |||
| # "Let’s protect names and heritage of the Roerichs” V. 3. (in Russian) International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank, Moscow. – 2005 | |||
| # "Let’s protect names and heritage of the Roerichs” V. 1. (in Russian) International Centre of the Roerichs, Master-Bank, Moscow. – 2001 | |||
| # "Morning Star”. Scientific and artistic illustrated literary miscellany of International Centre of the Roerichs. N 2–3, 1997. | |||
| # Roerich N. About the art: in collected articles/ With preface of A.D.Alyokhin. Compiler S. A.Ponomarenko.- Second Edition, Moscow, International Centre of the Roerichs, Master Bank. – 2005. 160 pp. | |||
| # N. Roerich "Diary leaves” V.2. – International Centre of the Roerichs, Moscow. – 1995. 512 p. | |||
| # N. Roerich "Diary leaves” V.3. – International Centre of the Roerichs, Moscow. – 1996. 688 p. | |||
| # N. Roerich. Culture and Civilization. International Centre of the Roerichs, Moscow. – 1994. -148 p. | |||
| # Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. Bibliography. International Centre of the Roerichs, Moscow. – 1999. -232 p. | |||
| # "Zazhigaite serdtsa!” Collected works (in Russian). – Second edition. – Moscow, "Molodaya Gvardiya”, 1978.- 208 p. | |||
| # Banner of Peace. Collected articles. Second Edition, supplemented and revised. – International Centre of the Roerichs, Moscow. – 2005. -644 p. with pictures.- (Great Roerich's Library). | |||
| # Short Philosophical Dictionary. / A.P.Alekseev, G.G.Vasiliev et al. Edited by A.P.Alekseev. – Second edition, supplemented and revised. – Moscow. "Velby”, "Prospect” publishing, 2004. – Dictionary was prepared by group of humanities department of Moscow State University named after M. V. Lomonosov. | |||
| # Larichev V.E., Matochkin Ye.P. Roerich and Siberia. – Novosibirsk, 1993. | |||
| # Russian Philosophy. Dictionary / Edited by M. Maslin. – Moscow, "Terra – Book club”; "Respublika”, 1999. -656 p. | |||
| # P.F.Belikov, V.P.Knyazeva. Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich. – Samara. – 1996.- Third supplemented edition. | |||
| # Roerich nominated for Peace award // The New York Times. March 3, 1929, Sunday | |||
| # Ivanov M.A. Roerichs and Tver region. Tver, "GERS Publishers. – 2007. 118 p. | |||
| # Drayer, Ruth Abrams. Nicholas & Helena Roerich: the spiritual journey of two great artists and peacemakers. Quest Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8356-0843-3 | |||
| # Znamenski, Andrei. Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophecy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia. Quest Books, 2011. ISBN 978-0-8356-0891-6 | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] — Minor planet in Solar System | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] — Former president of International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow) | |||
| * ]— President of International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow) | * ] — President of International Centre of the Roerichs (]) | ||
| * ] — Minor planet in Solar System | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| {{ |
{{wikiquote}} | ||
| {{ |
{{commonscat|Nicholas Roerich}} | ||
| * |
* | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| Line 468: | Line 130: | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| * | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{ |
{{reflist|2}} | ||
| {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| | NAME = Roerich, Nicholas | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Russian artist | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = October 9, 1874 | |||
| | PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ] | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = December 13, 1947 | |||
| | PLACE OF DEATH = ], India | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Roerich, Nicholas}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Roerich, Nicholas}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Roerich, Nicholas}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Line 513: | Line 150: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Line 519: | Line 156: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 02:31, 16 July 2012
| Nicholas Roerich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1874-10-09)October 9, 1874 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Died | December 13, 1947(1947-12-13) (aged 73) Punjab, India |
| Nationality | Russia |
| Occupation(s) | painter, archaeologist, costume and set designer for ballets, operas, and dramas |
| Spouse | Helena Roerich |
| Children | George de Roerich, Svetoslav Roerich |
Nicholas Roerich, (October 9, 1874 - December 13, 1947) also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (alternative transliteration) (Template:Lang-ru), was a Russian painter and philosopher.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia to the family of a well-to-do notary public, he lived around the world until his death in Punjab, India. Trained as an artist and a lawyer, his interests lay in literature, philosophy, archaeology and especially art. Roerich was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture in times of war. He earned several nominations for the Nobel Prize. The so-called Roerich Pact was signed into law by the United States and most member nations of the Pan-American Union in April 1935.
Biography
Early life
Raised in turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg, Roerich matriculated simultaneously at St. Petersburg University and the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1893. He received the title of "artist" in 1897 and a degree in law the following year. He found early employment with the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, whose school he directed from 1906 to 1917. Despite early tensions with the group, he became a member of Sergei Diaghilev's "World of Art" society; he chaired the society from 1910 to 1916.
Artistically, he made a mark as his generation's most talented painter of Russia's ancient past, a subject that meshed well with his lifelong interest in archaeology. He also succeeded in the field of stage design, achieving his greatest fame as one of the designers for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. His best-known designs were for Borodin's Prince Igor (1909 and later productions), and costumes and set for The Rite of Spring (1913), composed by Igor Stravinsky.
Another of Roerich's passions was architecture. His acclaimed "Architectural Studies" (1904-1905) -- the dozens of paintings he completed of fortresses, monasteries, churches, and other monuments during two long trips through Russia -- inspired his decades-long career as an activist on behalf of artistic and architectural preservation. He also designed religious art for places of worship throughout Russia and Ukraine, most notably the Queen of Heaven fresco for the Church of the Holy Spirit which the patroness Maria Tenisheva built near her Talashkino estate.
During the 1900s and early 1910s, Roerich, largely due to the influence of his wife Helena, developed an interest in eastern religions, as well as alternative belief systems such as Theosophy. Both Roerichs became avid readers of the Vedantist essays of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore, and the Bhagavad Gita. The Roerichs' commitment to occult mysticism steadily increased. It was brought to a new pitch during World War I and the Russian revolutions of 1917, to which the couple, like many Russian intellectuals, attached apocalyptic significance. The influence of Theosophy, Vedanta, Buddhism, and other mystical strains of thought can be seen not only in many of his paintings, but in the many short stories and poems Roerich wrote before and after the 1917 revolutions, including the Flowers of Morya cycle, begun in 1907 and completed in 1921.
Revolution, emigration, and the United States
After the February Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the tsarist regime, Roerich, a political moderate who placed spiritual values and Russia's cultural heritage above ideology and party politics, played an active part in artistic politics. With Maxim Gorky and Aleksandr Benois, he participated in the so-called "Gorky Commission" and its successor organization, the Arts Union (SDI). Both attempted to focus the Provisional Government's and Petrograd Soviet's attention on the need to form a coherent cultural policy and, most urgently, protect art and architecture from destruction and vandalism. At the same time, however, illness forced Roerich to leave the capital and reside in Karelia, the district bordering Finland. He had already resigned the chair of the World of Art society, and he now gave up the directorship of the School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After the October Revolution and the rise to power of Lenin's Bolshevik Party, Roerich grew increasingly discouraged about Russia's political future. In early 1918, he, Helena, and their two sons George and Sviatoslav emigrated to Finland.
Two unresolved historical debates are associated with Roerich's departure. First, it is often claimed that Roerich was a leading candidate to head a people's commissariat of culture (the Soviet equivalent of a ministry of culture) which the Bolsheviks considered establishing in 1917-1918, but that he refused to take up the post. In fact, Benois was the most likely pick to lead any such commissariat. It appears that Roerich was a preferred choice to run its department of artistic education; the point is rendered moot by the fact that the Soviets elected not to establish such a commissariat. Second, when he wished to reconcile with the USSR, Roerich later maintained that he had not left Soviet Russia deliberately, but that he and his family, living in Karelia, had been cut off from their homeland when civil war broke out in Finland. However, Roerich's extreme hostility to the Bolshevik regime - prompted not so much by a dislike of communism as by his revulsion at Lenin's ruthlessness and his fear that Bolshevik rule would lead to the destruction of Russia's artistic and architectural heritage - was amply documented. He illustrated Leonid Andreyev's anti-communist polemic "S.O.S." and had a widely published pamphlet, "Violators of Art" (1918-1919). Roerich believed that "the triumph of Russian culture would come about through a new appreciation of ancient myth and legend".
After some months in Finland and Scandinavia, the Roerichs moved on to London, arriving in mid-1919. Fully engrossed in Theosophical mysticism, the Roerichs were now consumed by millenarian expectations that a new age was imminent, and they wished to reach India as soon as possible. They joined the English-Welsh chapter of the Theosophical Society. It was in London, in March 1920, that the Roerichs founded their own school of occult thinking, Agni Yoga, which they also referred to as "the system of living ethics." To earn passage to India, Roerich worked as a stage designer for Thomas Beecham's Covent Garden Theatre, but the enterprise collapsed in 1920, and the artist never received full payment for his work.
Luckily, a successful exhibition led to an invitation from a director at the Chicago Art Institute, offering to arrange for Roerich's art to tour the United States. In the fall of 1920, the Roerichs set sail for America. Among the notable people Roerich befriended while in England were the famed British Buddhist Christmas Humphreys, philosopher-author H. G. Wells, and the poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore (whose grand-niece Devika Rani would later marry Roerich's son Sviatoslav).
The Roerichs remained in the United States from October 1920 to May 1923. A large exhibition of Roerich's art, organized in part by U.S. impresario Christian Brinton and in part by the Chicago Art Institute, opened in New York in December 1920 and toured the country, to San Francisco and back, in 1921 and early 1922. Roerich befriended acclaimed soprano Mary Garden of the Chicago Opera and received a commission to design a 1922 production of Rimsky-Korsakov's The Snow Maiden for her. During the exhibition, the Roerichs spent significant amounts of time in Chicago, New Mexico, and California.
They settled in New York City, which became the base of their many American operations. The Roerichs founded several institutions during these years: Cor Ardens and Corona Mundi, both of which were meant to unite artists around the globe in the cause of civic activism; the Master Institute of United Arts, an art school with an exceptionally versatile curriculum, and the eventual home of the first Nicholas Roerich Museum; and an American Agni Yoga Society. They also joined various theosophical societies, and their activities in these groups dominated their lives.
Asian Expedition (1925-1928)
After leaving New York, the Roerichs - together with their son George and six friends - went on the five-year long 'Roerich Asian Expedition' that, in Roerich's own words: "started from Sikkim through Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the Karakoram Mountains, Khotan, Kashgar, Qara Shar, Urumchi, Irtysh, the Altai Mountains, the Oryot region of Mongolia, the Central Gobi, Kansu, Tsaidam, and Tibet" with a detour through Siberia to Moscow in 1926. Roerichs' Asian expedition attracted anxious attention from the foreign services and intelligence agencies of the USSR, the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. Between the summer of 1927 and June of 1928 the expedition was thought to be lost, since all contact from them ceased for a year. They had been attacked in Tibet and only the "Superiority of our firearms prevented bloodshed... In spite of our having Tibet passports, the expedition was forcibly stopped by Tibetan authorities." The expedition was detained by the government for five months, and forced to live in tents in sub-zero conditions and to subsist on meagre rations. Five men of the expedition died at this time. In March of 1928 they were allowed to leave Tibet, and trekked south to settle in India, where they founded a research center, the Himalayan Research Institute.
Cultural work
In 1929 Nicholas Roerich was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the University of Paris. He received two more nominations in 1932 and 1935. His concern for peace led to his creation of the Pax Cultura, the "Red Cross" of art and culture. His work in this area also led the United States and the twenty other members of the Pan-American Union to sign the Roerich Pact on April 15, 1935 at the White House. The Roerich Pact is an early international instrument protecting cultural property.
Vice President of the United States Henry A. Wallace was a frequent correspondent and sometime follower of Roerich's teachings. This became controversial when Wallace ran for President in 1948 and portions of the letters were printed by Hearst Newspapers columnist Westbrook Pegler.
Cultural references
H.P. Lovecraft referred to the "strange and disturbing paintings of Nicholas Roerich" in his Antarctic horror story At the Mountains of Madness.
Legacy
Today, the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City is a major center for Roerich's artistic work. Numerous Roerich societies continue to promote his theosophical teachings worldwide. His paintings can be seen in several museums including the Roerich Department of the State Museum of Oriental Arts in Moscow; the Roerich Museum at the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow; the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia; a collection in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow; a collection in the Art Museum in Novosibirsk, Russia; a collection in the Art Museum in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; the Roerich Hall Estate in Nagar village, Kulu Valley, Himachal-Pradesh (India); in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works in The Latvian National Museum of Art.
See also
- Agni Yoga
- Pax Cultura
- Helena Roerich
- Svetoslav Roerich
- George de Roerich
- Yuli Mikhailovich Vorontsov — President of International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow)
- 4426 Roerich — Minor planet in Solar System
External links
- International Centre of the Roerichs
- Nicholas Roerich Museum (New York)
- International Non-governmental Organisation "The International Centre of the Roerichs" (Russia)
- International Roerich Memorial Trust (India)
- Agni Yoga Society
- Estonian Roerich Society
- Roerich-movement on the Internet (in Russian)
- Reviving the Roerich Banner of Peace: Peace Through Culture!
- Paintings Gallery
- Nicholas Roerich Estate Museum in Izvara
- Roerich Family
References
-
Рерих Николай Константинович // Большая биографическая энциклопедия
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Русская философия: словарь/Под общ. ред. М. А. Маслина / В. В. Сапов. — М.: Республика, 1995
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Краткий философский словарь / А. П. Алексеев, Г. Г. Васильев и др.; Под ред. А. П. Алексеева — 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. — М.: ТК Велби, Изд-во Проспект, 2004.
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // С. Левит. Культурология. XX век. Энциклопедия., 1998 г.
- — Рерих Николай Константинович / Новейший философский словарь /Грицанов А. А.. — Научное издание. — Минск: В. М. Скакун, 1999 г. — 896 с.
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Биографический словарь
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Современная энциклопедия
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Большая советская энциклопедия
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Энциклопедический словарь Ф. А. Брокгауза и И. А. Ефрона
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Энциклопедия «Кругосвет»
- — Рерих Николай Константинович // Современный Энциклопедический словарь. Изд. «Большая Российская Энциклопедия», 1997 г.
- — Nikolay Roerich // Gallery of Russian Thinkers
- — Nikolai Konstantinowitsch Roerich / Meyers Konversations Lexikon. Online-version
- Bowlt, John E. (2008). Moscow and St. Petersburg 1900-1920: Art, Life and Culture. New York: The Vendome Press. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-86565-191-3.
- "Roerich Nominated for Peace Award". New York Times. March 3, 1929. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Nomination database