Large format paintings by N. Roerich. The greatness of the unattainable: mountains in the painting of Nicholas Roerich. Geographical objects named in honor of N.K. Roerich
Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich is a real phenomenon in Russian and world culture. A man of unique abilities, artist, writer, archaeologist, scientist, philosopher, stage designer and mystic, spiritual teacher of several generations of people - all these characteristics relate to one person.
Not too much for mine long life, and Roerich lived for 73 years filled with constant work, the master created more than 7,000 paintings, wrote more than 30 books, two of which were poetic works. His achievements include the founding of the international cultural movements Banner of Peace and Peace through Culture. Roerich came up with the idea and founded the Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments, which became known as the Roerich Pact. In India, he founded the Urusvati Institute of Himalayan Studies, as well as many other societies and educational institutions.
Nikolai Konstantinovich was born in 1874 in the family of a notary and public figure. His mother came from a merchant family. In addition to Nikolai, the family had two more sons - Boris and Vladimir.
From an early age, little Nikolai was interested in art, archeology and painting. He was attracted not only by the Russian historical heritage, but also by the material and spiritual culture of the East.
After graduating from high school in 1893, Roerich simultaneously studied at the University of St. Petersburg at the Faculty of Law and at the Imperial Academy of Arts. After another two years, he is trained by a famous artist. At the same time, Roerich organized independent archaeological expeditions. He manages to find a large number of monuments from different eras and collect a collection of Neolithic tools.
In 1897 he completed his studies at the Academy of Arts. His canvases are executed in the Russian style on historical and legendary themes. They were highly appreciated by prominent people of that era, including Leo Tolstoy, and thesis Tretyakov himself bought it.
Two years later, the talented artist will marry Elena Ivanovna Shaposhnikova, with whom he will live his life in complete harmony. They will have two sons, both of whom will become famous and talented people.
This period of his life was marked by many achievements and works. He had the opportunity to work in different genres, paint frescoes in churches, create monumental artistic canvases, and work for the design of performances.
The revolution found Roerich in, where he was improving his health. He was not destined to return to Russia. Only in Soviet times would he visit his homeland on business.
In 1919 - 1920 he lived in, where he took part in the famous ballet productions of Sergei Diaghilev. Here, together with his wife, he becomes a member of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Blavatsky. After this, he will have a three-year tour of America. He will have to return there three more times, but for a very short period of time.
He was always attracted to India with its ancient philosophy and special attitude to life. In search of spiritual enlightenment, Roerich and his family end up in the Himalayas, where they find their second homeland. The Central Asian expedition is being organized under his leadership. She tried to get into the then forbidden Tibet, but this was never destined to happen.
Roerich's Indian period was marked by the creation of many paintings that were distinguished by their extraordinary expression and recognizable style of depiction. During these years, the scientist and artist, public figure managed to do so much that it would be enough for a dozen human lives. He died in 1947, never knowing that he was denied return to his beloved homeland.
Roerich Nicholas Konstantinovich, Russian painter, theater artist, scientist, writer, traveler, public figure and philosopher; a legendary man, one of the most striking figures of Russian symbolism and modernism. Born on September 27 (October 9), 1874 in St. Petersburg in the family of a notary. In 1893, Nicholas Roerich entered the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, and at the same time entered the Academy of Arts, where he studied in the workshop of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi. In 1900–1901, Roerich studied at Cormon's studio in Paris. Before the revolution, he lived mainly in St. Petersburg and traveled a lot. At the turn of the century, Roerich wrote a cycle of architectural and historical landscapes of Pskov, Rostov the Great, Izborsk and other ancient Russian cities (1899–1904, Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow; other collections). Scenes of the past appear in the paintings of Nicholas Roerich in the form of colorful symbols and generalizations: “Messenger” (Clan to clan has risen), 1902; “The City is being Built,” 1902; "Fight", 1906; history is interpreted as a chain of mysterious cosmic signs (“Heavenly Battle”, 1912, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg; “Crowns”, 1914, Museum of Russian Art, Kyiv).
The focus of images in Roerich’s paintings is often the legendary figures of heroes and saints (“Panteleimon the Healer”, 1916, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; “Three Joys”, 1916, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). A milestone for modern scenography was theatrical design, enchantingly colorful and at the same time “director’s” participating in the rhythm of the performance (“Peer Gynt” by G. Ibsen at the Moscow Art Theater, 1912; “The Rite of Spring” by I.F. Stravinsky, where Roerich also co-authored the libretto for the enterprise of S.P. Diaghilev in Paris, 1913; “Prince Igor” by A.P. Borodin for the same enterprise in London, 1914). Nicholas Roerich also performed a number of monumental and decorative works, but the most significant works in this area (paintings of the Holy Spirit Church in Talashkino near Smolensk, 1911–1914; panels “The Battle of Kerzhenets” and “Conquest of Kazan” for the Kazansky Station in Moscow, 1915– 1916) have not survived at all, or have survived to the present day in the form of fragments. At first not accepting the revolution and expressing his horror at its vandalism in the symbolic drama “Mercy” (1918), Roerich, finding himself beyond the Finnish border, lived abroad from 1918.
In 1920, having moved to the USA, Roerich founded there together with his wife E.I. Shaposhnikova the “Agni Yoga Society” to spread the teaching of “Living Ethics”, designed to morally improve humanity on the basis of ancient religions, primarily Buddhism, and modern theosophy. In 1923, Nicholas Roerich began his Trans-Himalayan expedition from Sikkim with the aim of historical and topographical study of Central Asia; the expedition crosses the latter twice, passing through inaccessible regions of India, Mongolia and Tibet.
Arriving through Xinjiang to Moscow in 1925, Roerich established contacts with the Soviet leadership, and in 1926–1928 he returned to Sikkim through Altai. Roerich's permanent residence became the Institute of Himalayan Studies (Urusvati Institute - from the Sanskrit word meaning “morning dawn”) in the Kullu Valley near Naggar (Himachal Pradesh, Northern India), organized by him in 1929. The spiritual result of his travels was the books “Altai-Himalayas” ", "Heart of Asia" and "Shambhala" (1927–1930), written in a peculiar, as if “mystical-archaeological” genre, full of vivid poetic images. Even more famous are the abundant picturesque results of these years - painted in tempera, also bewitchingly bright, “semi-precious” landscapes, where majestic mountain nature is combined with symbols of ancient faiths (the cycle of paintings “Maitreya”, 1926, Art Museum, Nizhny Novgorod; and many others) .
Roerich and his wife devoted more and more energy to theosophy, which they understood not only as a mystical, but also as a social movement. Followers of the Roerichs different countries He is also captivated by his proclaimed educational mission of protecting historical and artistic monuments from the destructive onslaught of modern civilization. The artist collected his philosophical sermons in the books “The Power of Light” (1931) and “The Fiery Stronghold” (1933). Roerich’s ideas of “Peace through Culture” were eventually embodied in a special Pact named after him, which formed the basis of the international convention on the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts, concluded in The Hague in 1954. In the late period, the master continued to actively work as a painter; news from the fronts of World War II inspired him to create a national-romantic cycle on the themes of Russian epics. Roerich also wrote huge cycles of memoir essays (“Diary Sheets,” 1934–1935; “My Life,” 1936–1947). His faithful companions always remained his wife and sons - the orientalist Yuri Roerich (1902–1960) and the artist Svyatoslav Roerich (1904–1993). Roerich died in Kullu on December 13, 1947. The Roerich Museum was opened in 1924 in New York. In Moscow (in addition to the special department of art of N.N. and S.N. Roerichs in the Museum of Oriental Art), since 1992 there has been an International Center of the Roerichs with its own museum.
Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich is known throughout the world for his artistic genius. In addition, he showed his Creative skills in literature, was fond of archeology, traveled a lot and was engaged in active social activities. However, few people know that Roerich is the founder of his own religious and mystical movement. His regular activities served as a reason for the artist’s excommunication from the church.
Nicholas Roerich painted paintings all his life. There are more than 7,000 copies of them, not counting numerous sketches for mosaic complexes and frescoes in various temples and churches. The artist traveled to an incredible number of countries, which is reflected in his works. The philosophy of the East left a big imprint on his entire life.
Nicholas Roerich gave many mysteries and uniqueness to the whole world. The paintings he painted in his youth differ significantly from his later paintings, but this does not detract from their artistic value. His first significant work in the world of art was “The Messenger”.
"Rise of clan to clan" (1897)
Talent literally burst out of Roerich during the painting “The Rise of Family to Family” created a sensation. Tretyakov himself bought it for his gallery. Leo Tolstoy spoke enthusiastically about the painting. Using a plot from the Gospel of Matthew, through his “Messenger” the young Roerich conveys a message to all the people on behalf of Christ. The parting cry is that wars, diseases and disasters are coming. The famous critic Stasov said then: “Tolstoy will understand what news the messenger is rushing with.”
"Idols" (1901)
Just 4 years after the first major success, a new Nicholas Roerich appears before us. His paintings become more narrative and fantastic, all the details are drawn more clearly and confidently, in comparison with the author’s early works. His “Idols” are the embodiment of pagan thoughts and images inspired by archaeological expeditions.
A palisade with strung animal skulls, and a pensive old seer wanders alone between the figures of silent idols... This plot was continued by other works, for example, “The Sinister Ones,” written in the same year.
Roerich's prophecy
(with names) are presented in many domestic and foreign catalogs. Among them there are famous and not so famous. There are at least two works that are considered prophetic - "The City of the Condemned" and "The Cry of the Serpent." Both paintings were painted one after another in 1914, shortly before the revolution. Solovyov, Roerich’s friend and critic, wrote that the author’s works echo the ancient parable of Babylon.
Nicholas Roerich paints paintings, playing with contrasts. So it is here: against the backdrop of the fiery sky and the serpent that encircled the city on all sides, the gloomy gray walls of the fortresses rise. In this author's despair lies the inevitability of an imminent revolutionary wave.
Heavenly fantasies
Nicholas Roerich always frames his paintings with a plot content with the outline of clouds. He gives them a special place in his works, and sometimes even assigns main role. For example, the painting “The Command of Heaven”. Roerich in his literary memoirs describes clouds as something special that he remembered from early childhood. Possessing a broad creative imagination, in perpetual motion he constantly noticed something new: heroes, horses, dragons.
In the painting "Heaven's Command" people play a secondary role, praying with their hands raised up. The play of clouds is also noticeable in many other works of the artist, such as “Three Crowns”, “Heavenly Battle” and others.
Saint Panteleimon
The artist Nicholas Roerich often painted paintings based on biblical subjects or folk legends. His work “Panteleimon the Healer” about a skilled herbalist is interesting. But even here it is not clear where the border between heaven and earth lies. Both here and there special landscapes are visible. Against their background, Panteleimon is just part of nature. Medicinal herbs emit light in the depths of the night. The herbalist's long beard flutters and mixes with the wind. Nature and man are one - this is the main idea of this picture.
Roerich and the North
Wherever he traveled, whatever countries he visited, Nicholas Roerich, a native of St. Petersburg, always loved and appreciated the discreet northern beauty. The paintings (photos presented in the article) that he painted throughout his life mostly depict the landscapes of his childhood.
“Holy Island” demonstrates all the power and inaccessibility of Valaam, whom the artist met in 1906. There are no ordinary people here. Everything on the island is sacred, from man to stone. It seems that the outlines of faces are visible everywhere, and the people themselves are decorated with halos.
Eastern philosophy
Nicholas Roerich gave many years of his life to the East. His paintings are often thoroughly imbued with a special philosophy. All eastern subjects feature people with their own customs, worldview, and aspirations for light and tranquility. Roerich endows each painting with a soul that is not understandable to everyone, but attracts with its unique charm.
The diversity of the Himalayan mountains seems pretentious and contrived to those who have not seen them in nature. The artist was so loved in the East, became so close to him that even on his tombstone there is an inscription about his friendship with the Indian people.
At the end of his life, Roerich, imbued with Eastern culture, adopted Lamaism - the religion of death, accepting it as something natural, but requiring destruction. This pagan faith is characterized by sacrificial offerings with an abundance of blood. But at the same time, faith in the bright lived in Roerich. This is evidenced by his paintings, which have become Russian property, a legacy passed on by the brilliant artist to the great country.
Series "Sikkim". 1924 Tempera on canvas. 74x117.5 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY
“In the painting “Drops of Life,” a woman in a golden robe sits on a rock ledge, on the slope of snowy peaks. She collects drops of life into a jug - drops of wisdom and knowledge pouring from a high-mountain source. In deep thought, she looks down at the Earth, where she will bring this vital moisture she has collected.”
(N.D. Spirina. Reflections, 1999)
A vessel is one of the symbols of human consciousness, and drops of life-giving moisture are grains of knowledge, as well as the skills and qualities of the spirit born of it, which will accompany a person even after his earthly life, in other incarnations...
Higher spiritual Knowledge is not like ordinary knowledge accessible to the intellect. This knowledge comes to a person slowly and gradually, like precious drops of the purest mountain water falling into a vessel.
(Album “The Path to Shambhala”, p. 30)
2. Burning the Darkness
Series "His Country". 1924 Canvas, tempera. 88.5x117
“...An expedition arrived from Everest (Qomolungma)... By the way, they tried to find out if we had climbed to Everest.
In the painting “Burning of Darkness” they recognized the exact image of the glacier near Everest and did not understand how this characteristic view, seen only by them, got into the picture ... "
(N.K. Roerich. Altai-Himalayas)
Burning of darkness is one of the most interesting paintings by N. Roerich.
From the mountain Abode of Light, a majestic figure solemnly carries out the reserved shining Stone of wisdom and knowledge, dispelling the surrounding darkness. The Bearer of the Treasure of the World is followed by a procession of people in reverent silence, immersed in deep prayer.
With their Light and energy of thought they destroy the accumulation of negative mental energy in Earthly space- the result of negative thoughts and feelings of most people.
This energy of thoughts poisoned by anger, envy and greed becomes negative, destructive, harmful. It has a negative impact on environment, disrupts the natural energy balance of the elements and provokes natural disasters.
3. Treasure of the World - Chintamani
Series “His Country”, 1924. Tempera on canvas. 88.5 x 116.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY
The Sacred Chintamani Stone is known under different names in the sacred traditions of almost all nations.
According to Legend, the birthplace of the Stone is the constellation Orion, which is connected in a special way with our planet.
In very ancient times, the Stone from Orion served as the foundation of the Great Community of Light on Earth, which received the name Shambhala in the East. Since then, the main body of the Stone has been kept in this Brotherhood, and its fragment is sent into the world. The cosmoplanetary connection between the distant constellation Orion, the Stone in the Brotherhood of Light and a fragment of this Stone wandering around the world begins to intensify at certain times, and then great historical shifts occur.
At turning points in history, the sacred Stone appears in those countries and in the hands of those heroes who can especially influence the course of human evolution. The stone was owned by the king of ancient Judea Solomon, the first emperor of China of the Qin dynasty, Alexander the Great.
Chintamani was located in Ancient Novgorod, in the hands of Tamerlane and Akbar the Great.
The main characteristic of Chintamani is its fiery nature, which is associated with its amazing properties: it can glow, emit sparks and flames, change its weight, make a crackling sound, predict events, and give its owner special strength and endurance.
The Sanskrit two-part word "Chintamani" literally means "gem of thought." Therefore, we can say that Chintamani is a fire crystal of the highest spiritual thought.
The Chintamani stone is the talisman of the New World; it contains the fate of the future of humanity.
In the East there is a poetic legend that tells that once at the appointed hour a white horse will descend from the mountains, on the back of which, instead of a rider, there will be a casket with the Chintamani Stone - the Treasure of the World. This will become a sign of the coming of a new era and the transformation of the world.
In the painting by N.K. Roerich, a wise horse, surrounded by radiance, carries the Stone down to the people with careful mountain gait.
4. Lao Tzu
Series “Banners of the East”, 1924. Tempera on canvas. Private collection, USA
“One day, a saddled buffalo approached the hut in which Lao Tzu lived and stood at the threshold. Lao Tzu came out, sat on him, and the buffalo rushed him off to the Himalayan peaks.
The era in which Lao Tzu lived is known as the “era of war” - a time of civil strife, when hostility and turmoil, the desire for power, honor and wealth served as the main drivers of people’s actions and thoughts. Seeing such a decline in morality, Lao Tzu leaves public service and retires into hermitage. He settles in the mountains and indulges in contemplation and reflection. It is believed that it was here that he thought about and wrote his famous “Book of the Path and Virtue” - “Tao Te Ching”.
... for a person’s life to be not a sorrow, but a blessing, a person must learn to live not for the body, but for the spirit. This is what Lao-Tse teaches. He teaches how to move from the life of the body to the life of the spirit. He calls his teaching the Way..."
(N.D. Spirina. Reflections, 2000)
5. Santana
1935-1936, USA
"Wheel of Life. Or as the Hindus will say: “Santana” - “Stream of Life”.
“...The flow of life - santana - is whimsical and generous. The stream is sprayed into a steep waterfall, only to then gather again into the channel.”
(N.K. Roerich, Sheets of the Diary, vol. 2, “Santana”)
6. On the tops
The painting “On the Heights” by N.K. Roerich depicts the well-known phenomenon “Tum-mo” - the ignition of the main energy centers of consciousness.
“Those who have comprehended the Tum-mo Teaching, according to the pilgrims, can sit for hours in the scorching icy wind without feeling the cold. On the contrary, they feel a pleasant warmth spreading throughout their body, and sometimes they see flames dancing around them. The lamas convinced me that some preachers, whose lives were the most sinless, were able to make snow melt at a considerable distance from themselves. Before reaching this Tum-mo stage, a monk had to undergo a course of training under the guidance of a mentor. Without the help of a teacher, “Tum-mo” is considered extremely dangerous...”
(Yu.N. Roerich)
7. The vessel is not spilled
1927, canvas, tempera, USA
“...the one carrying this good lamp must walk very carefully so that he is not pushed, and valuable oil is not spilled, and the fire does not go out. In this care there will be neither timidity nor selfishness.
If a person knows that he has something to convey in the name of the greater good, then he will strain all his resourcefulness, all his capacity and tolerance, just so as not to spill his cup in vain. After all, he is not carrying it for himself.
To shorten the path, he will pass through the catacombs and spend the night in a cave, perhaps he will not sleep enough and forget about food - after all, he is not going for himself.
Service to humanity<…>Everyone must set this high and difficult demand before themselves as an earthly goal.
In creativity, in help, in encouragement, in enlightenment, in all quests for achievement, the same Service will be before man. In it he only repays his debt.
...may maliciously push your lamp. They may destructively try to plunge you into darkness without fire. But cover this sacred flame with all your clothes, preserve it with all your thoughts. In such important hours, you need to apply all your savings, all your attention. ... Be the same cheerful and invincible.”
(N.K. Roerich. Indestructible. “Catacombs”, p. 182, Riga, “Vieda”, 1991)
“...Every creature has a grain of spirit, but their state and quality are different . Just as surely as one cannot remain motionless in cosmic motion, exactly the same the state of mind must constantly change . Let us only wish for everyone, and ourselves, first of all, that the cup of the spirit does not spill. So that the heavy drops of chaos do not incinerate the valuable, accumulated moisture of the cup.”
(N.K. Roerich. Indestructible. “Desired Labor”, p. 168, Riga, “Vieda”, 1991)
8. Treasure of the Mountains(Intimate)
The painting “Treasure of the Mountains” or “The Hidden” is dedicated to the secrets of the Himalayan monastery - “Shambhala”.
In his articles, Roerich often mentions huge treasures stored in the depths of the Himalayas. But this is not gold, not diamonds, not rubies. The Ancient East knows other treasures, spiritual. It was them that N.K. Roerich had in mind when he painted the painting “Treasure of the Mountains.”
The gaze is directed deeper into the cave. In the foreground are huge beautiful crystals saturated with golden radiance. But the point is not in these rare and precious minerals. There, in the depths of the vaulted cave, to the left and right of the entrance to it on blue background mountains you can see the outlines of ancient statues carved into the rock. In the background is a group of people dressed in long robes. One of them holds a lit lamp, brightly illuminating the cave. These are Mahatmas. Their wisdom is the true spiritual treasure of the mountains.
9. Silver Kingdom. Mount Meru.
1938 Canvas, tempera. 48 x 78 cm. State Museum arts of the East, Russia. Moscow
“...Whoever contemplates the Himalayas remembers the great significance of Mount Meru. The Blessed Buddha traveled to the Himalayas in search of Light. There, near the legendary holy Stupa, in the presence of all the Gods, the Blessed One received his Illumination. Truly, everything connected with the Himalayas bears the great symbol of Mount Meru, standing at the Center of the World.”
(N.K. Roerich “Shining Shambhala”, “Treasure of the Snows”, New York, 1930)
10. The path to Shambhala
1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York
N.K. Roerich and all members of his family were keenly interested in the spiritual culture of the East, in particular, the philosophical heritage of India and Tibet. This interest gradually led them to the most sacred concept of the spiritual culture of the East - Shambhala, the Brotherhood of Teachers and Adepts of secret wisdom, who formed a monastery in remote areas of the Himalayas in order to help the spiritual development of the world.
The most mysterious part of the Roerichs’ “eastern path” is connected with their visit to Shambhala.
The texts of Agni Yoga and the essays of N.K. Roerich say that the uninitiated will never be able to find the way to the Ashrams of Shambhala. All paths to the monastery of the Himalayan Brotherhood are reliably disguised from casual curious people.
11. Mohammed on Mount Hira
1924 Tempera on canvas. 73.6×117. Museum named after N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia
Mohammed (Muhammad)(c. 570-632) - founder of the religion of Islam and the first Muslim community; the prophet of Allah and his messenger, through whom the text of the Koran, the main holy book of Muslims, proclaiming strict monotheism, was transmitted to people.
“I am sending... a photograph from my painting “Mohammed on Mount Hira” receives a decree from Archangel Gabriel. I heard very touching reviews from Mohammed’s co-religionists about this painting, who noted their understanding of tradition in hiding the face of the prophet.”
The plot of the painting “Mohammed on Mount Hira” is explained by the notes of N.K. Roerich in his expedition diary:
“The same archangel Gabriel of the Old and New Testaments on Mount Hira instructed Mohammed to begin preaching...
“At-Tabari speaks interestingly about the prophetic calling of Mohammed (“History of Prophets and Kings”). “The first thing that began the revelation of the messenger of God was the suggestions of truth, which came like the morning light. Then he became imbued with solitude and remained in a cave on Mount Hira. And then the eternally True One came to him. And he said to him: “Mohammed, you are the messenger of God " "I knelt down,” says the Messenger of God, “and stood waiting. Then slowly I went out. My heart was trembling. I came to Khadija and said: “Wrap me up, wrap me up,” and my fear passed away. And He appeared again and he said to me: “Mohammed, I am Gabriel, and you are the messenger of God.” ...
Varaka, the son of Naufal, said to Mohammed: “This is a divine revelation that was sent down to Moses, the son of Umran. If only I could live to see your people drive you out!” - “Will I be driven out by him?” - said Mohammed. “Yes,” he replied. - Truly, a person has never appeared with what you appeared with, without arousing enmity towards himself. Indeed, they will consider you a liar, they will cause you trouble, they will drive you out and fight with you.” Varaka’s words increased his firmness and dispelled his anxiety.”
(N.K. Roerich. Altai - Himalayas, M. 1999, p. 314)
12. Mother of the World
1930s. Canvas on cardboard, tempera. 97x65.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY
The Mother of the World is a symbol of the Universe. The Mother of the World is a symbol of the feminine principle in the new era.
The painting “Based on a vision. Cult of the Eternal Mother of the World. Pisces is a symbol of silence. Landscape below - approaches to Tibet"
(Z. G. Fosdick “My Teachers”, p. 239)
“...The teachings speak of the coming era of the Mother of the World. Close to all hearts, revered by the mind of every born, the Mother of the World again stands at the great helm. The one who understands this Face of evolution will be happy and safe..."
N.K. Roerich. Power of Light, “Women”
“...They will ask: “Why is this century called the Age of the Mother of the World?” This is truly what it should be called. A woman will bring great help, not only bringing enlightenment, but also establishing balance.”
(Teaching of Living Ethics, Supermundane)
“...The Mother of the World is a great creative force in our essence. You lived in ancient cults, like the earth, like the sun, like fire, like air, like water. You, the Giver of everything, You are the Giver of revelation to everything! You, Who have revealed to humanity the great joyful knowledge of the Mother; You, who indicated the feat and hid your face; You, Who gave us the manifestation of spatial Fire; Taking on Your shoulders the burden of human actions; We will ask you to return our lost smile. Show us mastery of the sacred Fiery Power!”
(Teaching of Living Ethics, Infinity)
13. Messenger from the Himalayas (Heading Home)
No later than 1941. Tempera on canvas. 90.5 x 151 cm. Sri Chitra-layama Gallery. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
“I regret that I don’t have a photo from the last painting “Message from the Himalayas.” The boat in the early morning fog was a success. There is silence and the distant mountains glow. June 1, 1940»
Roerich N.K. Meetings / From the literary heritage. M., 1974
“...In the later works: “Messenger from the Himalayas” (1940) and “Boris and Gleb” (1942), the surface of the water acquires, like Zhuang Tzu, the quality of unmanifest essence and true wisdom. Roerich’s ascetics, like messengers of the highest wisdom, float either on the surface of the water, or on the heavenly cloudy sea.”
E.P. Matochkin. Ancient China in the works of N.K. Roerich
14. Zoroaster (Zarathustra)
1931 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 76 x 117 cm
The painting “Zoroaster” is dedicated to the Great Ascetic Zoroaster (Zarathustra), who lived about six thousand years ago in Persia (modern-day Iran).
Zoroaster is the great legislator and founder of the religious doctrine - Zoroastrianism (fire worship).
His teachings were based on three virtues: good thought, good word and good action.
“...On the top of a high rock, the Elder holds a fiery bowl in his hands and pours fire from it onto the ground. In this canvas the artist laconically and soulfully conveys the meaning of the great mission of the Iranian Teacher and ancient prophet Zoroaster. And is he the only one? Didn’t all the great spiritual Teachers bring the light of the fire of Knowledge, Wisdom and Love into the darkness of human existence?! “I have come to bring fire upon the earth, and how I wish it would already be kindled” (Gospel of Luke 12:49,51). The fire kindled in the hearts and minds of people, in its light they began to see their path and comprehend their purpose on earth.”
N.D. Spirina
With a generous hand you shed light
High unpredicable planets
To the darkness of the earth - and will be defeated,
And he will disappear from the Earth forever.
N.D. SPIRINA to the painting by N.K. Roerich “Zoroaster”
15. Presenter
1944. Tempera on canvas. 116.3 x 73.3. State Museum of Oriental Art, Moscow
A woman in white robes is rushing high up the mountain. And behind her, holding the edge of her long robe, a man advances on his knees. The rocks also reach into the sky with their peaks, as if praying to him.
Elena Ivanovna Roerich wrote: “...A woman must rise herself spiritually, morally and intellectually to such an extent that she can entice a man to follow her. Remember the painting by Nikolai Konstantinovich “She who leads” (“Leading”). So a woman... should become not only a full-fledged collaborator in the organization of her whole life, but also an inspiration for life’s exploits.”
Elena Ivanovna herself was a high example, a concrete embodiment of this purpose of a woman.
N.D. Spirina
The one who leads
He knows: Heaven is calling us.
There is only one way - forward and upward.
Appointed by a person
Make your own destiny;
And he enters the fight
With an old personality in himself,
Winning that fight
The illusory world of earth,
The world is worthless and empty.
N.D. Spirina
16. Buddha the winner
1925 Tempera on canvas. 73.6×117. Museum named after N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia
« Buddha the winner » - before the source of life.
(N.K. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas”, M. 1974, p. 63)
Buddhism- one of three (along with Christianity and Islam of world religions). Originated in Ancient India in the 6th-5th centuries. BC. The founder is considered to be Sidhartha Gautama
In the religion of Buddhism, “Buddha” (Sanskrit) is the enlightened one. A person who has reached the state of highest perfection is one who has mastered perfect knowledge - wisdom.
“The word “Buddha” is not a name, but means a state of mind that has reached the highest point of development.
Buddha never claimed to be omniscient. “Brethren, I have not come to offer you any dogmas, and I do not require you to believe in what many others believe. I urge you only to enlightenment, unlimited by anything; use your own mind, develop it instead of allowing it to become dull. I implore you - do not be like wild beasts or stupid sheep. I pray to you - be sensible people, people who work tirelessly to master the true knowledge that will overcome suffering.”
E.I. Roerich
"Qualities of Buddha: Shakyamuni - wise from the Shakya family. Shakya Singha - a lion, Bhagavat - Blessed, Sattha - Teacher, Ji-na - Winner".
(N.K. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas”, M. 1999, p. 104)
Teacher Buddha pointed out that of the three types of actions, the most destructive Not word, Not a bodily act, but a thought.
17. White and Gorniy (White and Heavenly)
Series “His Country”, 1924. Tempera on canvas. 88.5 x 116.5. Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY.
“As soon as you climb the peaks of the Himalayas and look out over the cosmic ocean of clouds below, you will see endless shafts of rock chains and pearly strings of clouds. Behind them move the gray elephants of the sky, the heavy monsoon clouds. Isn’t this a cosmic picture that gives you the opportunity to understand great creative manifestations?”
N.K. Roerich. Shambhala is shining. Treasure of the Snows
The canvas “White and Mountain” is absolutely remarkable in its sense of heavenly space. The feeling of delight that covers a person who has conquered the peak emanates from this picture. The artist seems to have ascended to the heights of Everest and contemplates the opening panorama of the mountains.
Among the clouds of the most fantastic shapes, the artist draws in the foreground one that surprisingly resembles two huge human figures - a male and a female, leaning their heads against each other. They stand here spellbound and admire the beauty of the upper world of the Himalayas.
E.P. Matochkin. Dream of transformation
18. Teacher's Order
1937, canvas, tempera, India, Bangalore, collection of S.N. Roerich. Canvas, tempera. 84 × 153
“...The last, unfinished painting by Nikolai Konstantinovich is “The Teacher’s Order,” in which a self-absorbed figure, the beautiful figure of the Teacher, gives an order to a flying white eagle.”
P.F. Belikov “Continuous ascent” book. 1, p. 142-143
“The painting was painted just before the artist’s death and remained unfinished on his easel. Its plot was connected with the Teacher and the last experiences of N.K. Roerich before his departure. With this painting, he seemed to send his last greetings to the Himalayas and the amazing beauty that they gave him.”
"Nicholas Roerich", album. MCR, M. 1999, p. 54
19. Sergius the Builder
1925, “Banners of the East” series, tempera, USA, GrandHaven, Michigan, Donald Bolling Collection
Venerable Sergius of Radonezh (1314-1392), miracle worker, the greatest ascetic of the Russian land.
“...He built the community not only spiritually, but also materially, literally with his own hands. Having gone into the deep forests, where only animals lived. He created a community monastery that shone throughout all of Russia. He did it simply, like all truly great things are simple, starting with the fact that he cut down with his own hands a church and a cell for living. It was then that He planted the seed from which the Trinity-Sergius Lavra later, astonishingly for everyone, grew in all its splendor and grandeur. Let’s think about the potential this grain had!”
N.D. Spirina
“Sergius, the Builder of Communities, forbade his employees to accept alms. Food and things could only be accepted in exchange for labor. Starving, he himself offered his work. Community building and education were the only occupations of this remarkable man. Refusal from the metropolitan rank and from wearing valuable metals in his life is a natural act without any pretentiousness. Tirelessness of work; selection of young, unknown employees; simplicity both above and below. Refusal of personal property not by decree, but out of awareness of the harmfulness of this concept. Sergius retained a large place in the list of builders of the Community.”
(N.K. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas”, Riga “Vieda”, 1992, p. 87)
20. Karakirghiz
1932 Tempera on canvas. 46.5 × 79.3. USA, Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York
“Some words should sound in the mountains, others require a feather-grass-silk steppe, others need green forest noise. So there are words that are born only in the desert. To the same god, to the same center, words will be called from the sands. If the heart kindly knows the words of caves and mountains, if it cherishes the underwater and above-cloud cities, it will smile tenderly at the words of the deserts. Not in a blizzard and whirlwind and tornado, but in the sunset glow of the dunes, the heart will smile at that lonely traveler who interrupted his journey, abandoned earthly affairs, was in no hurry to reach the village, but called out to the Highest.”
N. Roerich “Leaves of the Diary”, vol. 1, “Kitab-el-Igan”, pp.160-161
21. Oirot - Messenger of the White Burkhan
Series “Banners of the East”, 1924. Tempera on canvas. 73.6 x117. International Center-Museum named after. N.K. Roerich (Moscow, Russia)
In the essay “Shambhala,” Roerich conveyed the legend of White Burkhan: “The mountains from Chuguchak to Altai become wilder and wilder. It is strange to see the Oirot riders for the first time - a Finno-Turkic race lost in the Altai Mountains. Only recently did this area, full of beautiful forests, thundering streams and snow-white ridges, receive given name Oirotia. The land of the Blessed Oirot, the folk hero of this secluded tribe. And another miracle happened in this country, where until recently crude forms of shamanism and witchcraft flourished.
In 1904, a young Oirot girl had a vision. Blessed Oirot himself appeared to her on a white horse. He told her that he was the messenger of White Burkhan and Burkhan himself would come soon.
The Blessed One gave the shepherd girl many instructions on how to restore righteous customs in the country and how to meet the White Burkhan, who will erect a new happy time on earth. The girl convened her clan and announced these new instructions of the Blessed One, asking her relatives to bury their weapons, destroy idols and pray only to the merciful White Burkhan.
A semblance of an altar was installed on the top of a wooded mountain. People gathered there, burned heather and sang newly composed sacred songs, touching and uplifting...
The local administration was embarrassed to learn about this new faith, as they called it. Peaceful admirers of White Burkhan were subjected to severe persecution. But the instructions of the Blessed Oirot did not perish. Until now, a rider on a White horse appears in the Altai mountains, and faith in White Burkhan is growing.
N.K. Roerich, “Heart of Asia”, essay “Shambhala”, Minsk, 1991, p.76
“White Burkhan, of course, he is the Blessed Buddha.”
N.K. Roerich “Altai-Himalayas”, M. 1999, pp. 386-38722. Star of the Hero
1933. Tempera on canvas. 92.3 x 122.0. Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York
In the dark blue sky, stars twinkle with a vibrant, vibrant light, and a sword-shaped comet cuts through the sky. This is the "hero star". And below, against the backdrop of huge mountains, a scarlet fire is burning, people are sitting around the fire and watching and listening... There is a story, also twinkling like stars, a story that ignites the soul.
Many paintings by N.K. Roerich are dedicated to the starry beauty of the Universe. The artist in the article “Celestial Architecture” wrote: “When we were freezing on the Tibetan plateaus, cloud mirages were one of the best consolations... But at the same time, myriads of stars were already shining, and these “star runes” reminded us that no matter how sad, neither despair is inappropriate. There were paintings "Star Runes", and "Star of the Hero", and "Star of the Mother of the World", built on the riches of the night sky. And on the most difficult days, one glance at the starry beauty already changes the mood. The infinite makes thoughts sublime.
People are definitely divided into two types. Some know how to rejoice in the heavenly architecture, but for others it is silent, or rather, their hearts are silent. But children know how to enjoy the clouds and elevate their imagination. But our imagination is only a consequence of observation. And from his first days, everyone is already expected to have a heavenly book of indescribable beauty.”
N.V. Urikova Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 by S.N. Roerich
23. Gessar Khan
1941. Canvas, tempera. 91 x 152. Memorial apartment of Yu. N. Roerich, Moscow
Geser Khan is the main character of the Mongol-Tibetan heroic epic, in which Geser is glorified as a folk hero, a fighter for the freedom and happiness of the people.
Geser Khan is a protector and sage, a legendary hero of many peoples and countries - Mongolia, Tibet, Altai, and was revered as a defender of the weak and oppressed.
The painting is based on the plot of the Central Asian epic. In the painting, Geser Khan shoots from a bow into the dark sky, engulfed in fiery red flame. Above this sky, already in other limits, a universal, apocalyptic battle of good and evil is taking place. The defender of the good beginning, Geser Khan, aims at the invisible.
Roerich dedicated this painting to his eldest son Yuri, an orientalist,
The hero is very close to Yuri Nikolaevich. This is one of the Names of the Lord of Shambhala. The painting was painted by Nikolai Konstantinovich especially for his son and presented to him for his birthday. To this picture L.P. Dmitrieva has written wonderful poems.
GESER KHAN
Today there can be no nizani against it.
Only - for, only - against.
Now there can be no nida, no ninnet.
Or only - yes, or only - no.
Don’t you see: the clouds are swollen with scarlet blood over the planet?
And darkness creeps out from all the crevices.
And, maddened, the elements rush about.
And the leaf turns pale before the universal thunderstorm.
And the horse trembles and thirsts for battle.
And in unprecedented tension there is a bowstring in a hand that does not know defeat.
And the arrow froze in its aspiration...
The great warrior Geser Khan - destroyer of darkness, warrior of Light,
having passed (and once again!) the above-ground road of the spirit with human feet on the ground.
Mighty knight Geser Khan, protector of all who seek protection in Him...
But I am no longer looking for protection, great warrior of Shambhala, Lord Geser Khan.
I want to become an arrow in your quiver that strikes the enemy.
Or if not an arrow, then its tip, at least or its feathers.
Just to fly where Your hand directs, Great warrior of Shambhala...
24. Confucius the Just
Series "Banners of the East" 1925. Tempera on canvas. 73.6 x 117. USA
Confucius (Kung Fu-Tzu, 551-479 BC) - the most prominent thinker, politician and teacher of Ancient China, founder of the first Chinese philosophical school. He came from a noble but ruined family. He was an adviser to the ruler of the kingdom of Lu, but voluntarily resigned and founded his own school.
Disillusioned with the social and political structure of his time, Confucius traveled to various Chinese principalities in the hope of convincing the rulers to use his teachings to establish peace and social harmony. Confucius spent 14 years traveling and upon returning home devoted his life to enlightening ordinary people. It was only several centuries after his death that the rulers of the Han Dynasty accepted his theories as principles for governing the country.
“...Confucius, great for his peacefulness and justice, was so persecuted by his contemporaries that he even had to keep a harnessed chariot ready and spent most of his life in forced movements. But history has cast the names of these ignorant persecutors into the abyss. And Confucius not only remained in memory, not only lived through millennia, but his name is even more strengthened in the present modern consciousness.”
N.K. Roerich. Stronghold of Fire, III. RICH POVERTY
The views of Confucius himself are set out in the book “Conversations and Judgments.” He attached very important importance to study in the upbringing of a person. The principle he put forward ren - literally “philanthropy”, reads: “What you don’t wish for yourself, don’t do to others.”.
“...Confucius, so often misunderstood and persecuted, commanded: “When we observe phenomena, we can achieve knowledge; when we have achieved knowledge, we acquire good desire; when we have acquired a good desire, the heart is purified, the person becomes cultured; when a person becomes cultured, order reigns in his family; order reigns in his country; when order reigns in every country, then peace will reign throughout the world.”
N.K. Roerich. Gateway to the future. Fate
25. Compassion (Mercy)
1936. Tempera on canvas. 61.5 x 92.5. Latvian National Art Museum. Riga. Latvia
“The idea of compassion can be expressed in different forms. But how touching is what we see in N. Roerich’s painting! The Rishi puts his hand under the arrow to protect the doe, which trustingly seeks his salvation. An act of great mercy is depicted in this taking on someone else's pain or even mortal danger.
“By calmly accepting someone else’s suffering or burden, using the fires of your heart you can neutralize it, and then the help will be real and strong. Like in the picture of the Guru: while protecting, Rishi took the blow and arrows onto himself, into his own hand, but at the same time he protected the persecuted victim. This is true help - to take the blow intended for the one who is being protected. This is true compassion."
N.D. Spirina. Reflections, 2002, p.120
In the canvas “Compassion” the most important ideas of the teaching of Living Ethics - about mercy, self-sacrifice, the victory of good, achieved not by violence, but by the power of transformation, enlightenment of consciousness - found artistic embodiment.
The contrasts of chiaroscuro and the juxtaposition of color spots in the painting visibly embody the idea of opposition between good and evil, ignorance and wisdom. The noble silhouette of a lama with a bowed head seems to radiate inner light and peace. As is known, in the philosophy of Buddhism, absolute peace contains the highest tension and creativity of the spirit. It is this kind of force, the artist claims, that stands guard over life, taking upon itself the arrows of death and faceless destruction.
“In compassion lies the great pearl of Secret Knowledge. All Bodhisattvas, all saints, all ascetics rushed along this path.”
“Compassion is not a quality. It is the Law of Laws, eternal Harmony, the World Soul Itself; the boundless universal Essence, the Light of abiding Truth, the harmony of all things, the Law of eternal Love.
The more you merge with it, dissolve your being in a single Being, the more your Soul enters into unity with all that exists, the more completely you will transform into PERFECT COMPASSION.
This is the path of the Arhat, along which the Buddhas of Perfection are coming.”
Treasure of the World. Comments on some paintings by N.K. Roerich. Publication of the Kuzbass Roerich Society
26. Remember!
Series “His Country”, 1924. Tempera on canvas. 87.6x117.8. USA, Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York.
A later version (1945), more intense in color, is in the State Russian Museum. Russia. Saint Petersburg. Canvas, tempera. 91 x 153 cm.
“...Having touched the high “Mountain World”, do not forget about it when you descend into the worldly bustle of the valleys, where the obligatory “deeds of everyday life” await you.
P.F. Belikov “Continuous ascent” book. 2, p.59
“...A majestic panorama of the Himalayan mountain range, peaks illuminated by the pink rays of the rising sun. A lone rider leaves his home. Somewhere in the lowlands important matters await him. The rider turns around and takes a farewell look at his house, the women accompanying him on his long journey, the snowy peaks leading to the heavens. “Remember why you are leaving us, what you must accomplish and why you must come back here!”
P.F. Belikov “Svyatoslav Roerich. Life and creativity", MCR, M., 2004, pp. 72-73
27. Nagarjuna - conqueror of the Serpent
Series “Banners of the East”, 1925. Canvas, tempera. 76.2×122. Museum named after N.K. Roerich, Moscow, Russia
“Nagarjuna - the Conqueror of the Serpent” sees a sign on the lake of the Lord of the Nagas.
N.K. Roerich “Altai - Himalayas”, M. 1999, p. 99
Among the famous thinkers and poets of Ancient India, one of the main places rightfully belongs to Nagarjuna (Sanskrit: “Victorious Naga”), who earned the epithet “Second Buddha”. He is the author of an extensive written heritage and the founder of the Mahayana - the path of the Great Vehicle. The great power of Love and Compassion for all living things determined the enduring value of his works.
According to ancient legends, the undaunted Nagarjuna gained wisdom from conversations with Naga, the snake king.
Nagas in Indian mythology are snake-like demi-deities. They are guardians of treasures and sacred borders, protecting the sacred, allowing only the dedicated and worthy to touch it. Snakes symbolize wisdom.
In Roerich’s painting, Brahma in a fiery glow is visible on Nagaraja’s chest. Traditionally he is depicted as red, with four heads and four arms, shining like a thousand suns, sitting on a blossoming many-petalled lotus. The king of the nagas appears in the guise of a multi-headed serpent, similar to an umbrella made from the hoods of cobras. The Naga's body wraps around the volcano, holding back the hellish underground fire and preventing the wonderful flower of all-conquering Wisdom from dying. Motionless as the mountains, the figure of Nagarjuna personifies spiritual fortitude: it opened the way for him to the secret knowledge of the King of the Nagas.
The meaning of the mysterious signs carved on the rock in the left corner of the picture is clarified thanks to the statements of Nagarjuna himself:
Know that thoughts are like drawings
On the surface of the water, on the ground and on the stone.
The former are better for the darkened;
The latter are better for the Righteous and pure.
28. Yuen-Kang
1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 82 x 50 cm
Under the layers of rock, first the head, then the torso of the statue appeared. Finally hands appeared. They carefully separated the breed from the wonderful work of art. When the body was separated, the lama ordered to stop work, because there was nothing further. The statue turned out to have no legs. They started asking: “Where could the legs have gone?” The Lama, with a mysterious expression, said that he was tired and did not consider it necessary to continue the experiment.
“... The painting: “Yungan” (1937) depicts a colossal statue of Buddha from the cave temple of the same name...”
Roerich Yu.N. Along the paths of Central Asia
29. Thought
1946 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 60.7 x 103 cm
“In the foreground of the reproduction, the image of the Teacher attracts our attention. The Great Lord, connected by the Beam to the Hierarchy of Light, controls spatial thoughts-energies and directs them into the evolutionary general cosmic flow of grace. This “Great Vigil” takes place day and night. “Pink peaks shine in the distance, the pink color expresses love; a symbol of great pure love, hence the color is delicate, bright and transparent.”
(E. Pisareva. The power of thought and mental images)
“The Great Buddha pointed out the meaning of the thought that makes up our essence and taught the expansion of consciousness.
N.K. Roerich wrote: “All peoples know that the place of holy people is on the mountains, on the peaks. From the heights - a revelation. A peak shining with heavenly beauty, like a beacon of Light, like a calling dream of perfection, like a path from which distant horizons open. The order of the future sounds through the Light.”
“...You can send your best thoughts to the world every day. You can support every good endeavor in any corner with your thoughts. globe. “Everyone can help the new construction with his thoughts, no matter where he is and no matter what he does.”
(G.A.Y. vol. 2, 178)
“Every moment a person either creates or destroys. The world is filled with contradictory thoughts. Many diseases are rooted in thoughts of destruction.” (Aum, 141)
30. Guru Kambala
1925. Private collection. USA. Tempera on canvas 66 x 98 cm
“...And two more touching images should not be forgotten. The founder of the so-called Manichaeism, Mani, was crucified on the gates of a city in Persia in the 3rd century for the synthesis of teachings and for the idea of community. The other is Guru Kambala, who gave his head as a symbol of devotion and service.”
N.K. ROERICH Altai - Himalayas.
Legend says that in a battle with enemies, Guru Kambala would have to die, because... the attacker's sword cut off his head. But the inner man - and it was he who fought - did not seem to notice the loss of the physical head. The warrior teacher, in the heat of battle, simply grabbed his severed head from the ground, raised his sword, rushed at the enemy and won.
31. Prophet Bada the Preacher
1945 Novosibirsk State Art Museum. Russia. Canvas, tempera. 71.3 x 129.8 cm.
The museum is called "Beda the Preacher". Some sources indicate the year of creation of the painting as 1942.
The main character was taken by the artist from an ancient legend, which tells how the blind sage Bed, accompanied by a boy, walked for a long time through mountainous terrain. When the guide was tired, he told Bade that many people had gathered around and they wanted to listen to him. The boy lay down to rest, and Beda, mistaking the splash of the wave for people talking, began to preach. In the picture, all nature, the whole Cosmos listens to the preacher in one impulse, because... he speaks from the heart. The sun hovered, the mountains fell silent, the river stopped its flow, the clouds caught the reflection of the rays, listening to Badu. Everything is filled with high vibrations of beauty, and even stones are spiritualized by the divine radiations of Beda.
Beda is an image of a person who has realized his life duty as Service to the Common Welfare, all people and the planet. The artist explained this work as follows: “Each of us remembers the beautiful poem “Beda the Preacher,” when the stones thundered in response to his calling word. If the stones can agree and affirm something in a harmonious choir, are people really lower than the stones?”
It was evening. In clothes wrinkled by the winds,
Bed walked blindly along a deserted path.
He leaned his hand on the boy,
Walking on stones with bare feet.
And everything was dull and wild all around,
Only the pine trees grew centuries old,
Only the gray rocks stuck out,
Shaggy and damp, dressed in moss.
But the boy was tired; taste fresh berries,
Or maybe he just wanted to deceive a blind man:
“Old man!” he said,
I'll go rest
And you, if you want, start preaching:
The shepherds saw you from the heights...
Some old men are standing on the road...
There are wives and children! Tell them about God
About the Son crucified for our sins."
And the old man’s face lit up instantly,
Like a key breaking through a layer of stone,
From his pale lips
Living wave
The lofty speech flowed with inspiration -
Such speeches cannot happen without faith!...
It seemed as if the sky appeared to the blind man in glory,
The hand trembling to the sky rose,
And tears flowed from extinct eyes.
But now the golden dawn has burned out,
And for a month a pale ray penetrated the mountains,
The dampness of the night blew into the gorge,
And so, while preaching, the old man hears
The boy calls him, laughing and pushing:
“That’s enough, let’s go, there’s no one left!”
The sad old man fell silent, his head drooping,
But he just fell silent - from edge to edge:
“Amen,” the stones thundered in response.
Ya.N. Polonsky
32. Song of the Stream (Song of the Waterfall)
1920 Series Suite "Dreams of Wisdom" (composed in 1920). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY. Canvas, tempera. 235 x 122 cm
In the painting “Song of the Stream” (“Song of the Waterfall”), 1920, Nicholas Roerich turns to the traditional symbols of the East - the lotus symbolizes Divine truth and purity, the river - human life.
With an exquisite linear rhythm, the artist emphasizes the contrasts of the sharp outlines of rock ledges, foaming water and the smooth lines of a quiet backwater with blooming lotuses...
Against the background of a monolithic rock is the body of a graceful girl, like a delicate flower.
In the whole picture one can feel complete harmony and unity of a beautiful, harmonious person and the pristine pure world around him.
A girl and a waterfall, a flower and a rock - everything sounds with the beauty of eternal Divine life.
33. Song of the Waterfall
1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 100 x 61 cm
...Roerich knew how to hear and appreciate beautiful sounds not only in concerts. He distinguished music in the sounds of nature: “A person should listen to beautiful music and singing. Sometimes one harmony will forever awaken the feeling of beauty... Without realizing the meaning of music, it is impossible to understand the sound of Nature... The song of a waterfall, or a river, or an ocean will only be a roar. The wind will not bring melody and will not ring a solemn hymn in the forests. The best harmonies are lost to the unopened ear.”
In his painting “The Song of a Waterfall,” a woman listens to the music of flowing water and selects these sounds on the strings of a musical instrument.(…)
Roerich contrasts contrasting tones in his paintings, enhancing the effect of the colors, just as composers compare the timbres of various instruments in their orchestral pieces and thereby achieve a particularly vivid identification of the sounds of each instrument.
N.D. Spirina. Reflections, part 1. 1944-1989. pp. 52-54
34. And we labor (And we labor)
1922 Series of paintings “Sankta” (“Saints”). International Center-Museum named after. N.K. Roerich. Russia Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 71.5 x 101.7 cm
The path of spiritual development of a person begins with hard physical labor, “all kinds of toil.” While building the monastery, the Reverend himself, with two water carriers, carried water for the brethren (as depicted in the picture), ground flour with hand millstones, baked prosphora, brewed kvass, rolled church candles, cut and sewed clothes and shoes, and worked for the brethren “like a bought slave.” On the canvas we see how the saints are engaged in simple earthly affairs, working for the Common Good. They walk on the water at a considerable distance from each other, which suggests that there is no idle chatter between the monks. While doing earthly things, you can rush into higher spheres with high and beautiful thoughts, cementing space with beauty.
SPIRINA N.D. Sacred Suite. Novosibirsk: SibRO, 200135. Lotus
1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY. Canvas, tempera. 74.4 x 116.9 cm
“...Here in the Ganges near Benares a sadhu sits on the water in a sacred position. His crossed legs are covered with water jets. The people run to the shore and marvel at the holy man..." N. Roerich. The Fiery Stronghold. Rishi
36. Heavenly battle. Command of Heaven
1912 and 1915. State Russian Museum. Russia. Saint Petersburg. Cardboard, tempera 66 x 95 cm
What could have given rise to such a “heavenly battle?” Of course, only anger, denial, selfishness and other negative qualities of people that upset the balance not only in the person himself, but in all of nature. Human imbalance causes disorder of the elements and all kinds of natural disasters. And although the dark masses of clouds are still strong, fiery formations are already displacing them. People will have to answer for their offspring.
In the painting “Heavenly Battle”, less than a fifth of the part is occupied by a valley with lakes and pile buildings. The rest is swirling clouds, sometimes permeated with golden sunlight, sometimes turning into the blue of thunderclouds. This is the struggle of Light and darkness. The heavenly and the earthly seemed to split into two, as if they moved away from each other. There is a battle between two principles. There is something hidden in these irregular, warring forms of clouds. At first, the figures of flying Valkyries were painted on a copper-sounding cloud, which the artist then turned into clouds: “Let them be present invisibly”... Even if invisibly, these forces are really present there. The pile village depicted below seems to have fallen silent, awaiting the outcome of the battle of the elements.
N.V. Urikova. Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 by S.N. Roerich
37. Subsoil (Lower than the depths)
1924 Series "His Country" (compiled in 1924). International Center-Museum named after. N.K. Roerich. Russia Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 89 x 116.6 cm
From the notes of N.K. Roerich: “At the foot of the Himalayas there are many caves, and they say that from these caves underground passages lead far beyond Kanchenjunga. Some even saw a stone door that never opened because the time had not yet come. Deep passages lead to the Beautiful Valley. You can understand the origin and reality of legends when you become familiar with the unexpected formations in the nature of the Himalayas, when you personally realize how closely glaciers and rich vegetation come into contact."
Roerich N.K. Shambhala Shining. Treasure of the Snows
The work of N.K. Roerich symbolizes human consciousness, plunged into the depths of almost complete numbness and suddenly accepting the voice of spiritual flight.
38. Kyrgyz mazar. Sanju
1925 University of North Carolina. Charlotte. USA. Canvas on cardboard, tempera. 30.5 x 40.5 cm
October 6. Again we walked along the current of Karakash. Large old Kyrgyz cemetery. Mazars with a hemispherical vault. Low graves lined with horsetails with horse tails. Positively, mazars are very often old Buddhist chortens. After the mazar we parted with the flow of Karakash.
16th of May. We are standing in Sanju; the village is 39 versts (Russian versts). You can’t stand outside the outskirts: it’s dangerous at night, and our faithful guard Tumbal remained at the consulate. We are standing in the yard. An old Kazakh woman in white walks sedately around the yard. Girls with many black pigtails quickly sneak out of the hut. It's already six o'clock and the fever hasn't started to subside yet.
* “...We reached the section of the roads to Kokyar or Sanju” - the path to Khatan through the village of Kokyar in the valley of the Karakash River is longer, through the Sanjutag ridge is shorter"
39. Hunting
1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 45.5 x 78.4 cm
The painting “Hunting” is the artist’s vision of nature, the feeling of a universal landscape, it is spaciousness, purity, crystalline air, the age-old power of a mountain range.
The depicted two timid deer symbolize the tragedy of nature in our time, which is predetermined by the spiritual and moral decay of humanity.
“...Indeed, if once in ancient times murders numbered in the thousands, then in our “enlightened” times the number of murders exceeds many millions. If once hunters with a primitive bow and spear killed a few animals, now in the slaughterhouses alone in Chicago several tens of thousands of animals are killed in the shortest possible time.
If you, even with all the scientific data in your hands, hint at the benefits and nutritional value of vegetarian food, then you will again be suspected of some kind of antisocial aspirations. Among civilized and even cultured humanity, blood is something very nutritious, and there are still ignorant doctors who prescribe bloody meat.
…So, along with the number of covenants against murder, the very number of bodily murders increases, from small to large, from animals to humans.”
N.K. Roerich. Fiery stronghold
40. Lhamo (Palden Lhamo)
1931 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY. Canvas, tempera. 74.2 x 117.5 cm
Place Lahul. “...Palden Lhamo Waterfall; nature itself inscribed on the rock a statue of a formidable goddess riding her favorite mule. “You see how the mule raised his head and right leg. Consider how clearly the head of the goddess is visible.” We see, we see! And we listen to the incessant song of the mountain stream.” N.K. Roerich. The Flaming Stronghold, Riga, Vieda, 1991, p.179
Lhamo - in Lamaism - the terrible “keeper of the law” and “defender of the faith.” Merciless towards apostates from the faith. Patroness of Lhasa.
Palden Lhamo, the Dharmapala goddess, belongs to the category of “those who have gone beyond the six spheres of existence,” that is, “non-worldly” gods who have emerged from the circle of births and deaths.
In Tibetan Buddhism, Palden Lhamo became a guardian deity - she protects the teachings of the Mahayana. She is also considered the protector of the capital of Tibet, Lhasa. In Tibet there is a lake called Lhamo Latso, where, according to legend, the goddess lives and on the shore of which rituals are performed, and high lamas receive instructions regarding the rebirth of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas.
41. Guardians of the Snow
1922 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA. NY. Canvas, tempera. 51.5 x 76 cm
Roerich N.K. Altai - Himalayas. II. Sikkim (1924):
Outside the gates of Pemayandze there are guardians of three-hundred-year-old trees. Fairytale forest of Tsar Berendey. And the street of llama houses, like the Berendey settlement, is painted and equipped with colored porches and ladders.
Bkra-shis-lding. February, 1924.
Roerich N.K. Fredum / Unbreakable. Riga: Vieda, 1991:
Can the idea of protecting dignity be non-peaceful? A peaceful watch, a watch in the name of peace, is quite possible, but the point is that there should be peace in the hearts of this watch. This high world will not be a malicious neighbor, but, on the contrary, it will be a good neighbor who knows its boundaries with honor.
Roerich N.K. Revival / Unbreakable. Riga: Vieda, 1991:
...Who knows why everyone is entrusted with patrol in one place or another. As a human being, we can assume that it would be better not here, but there. Or maybe it is the guards who are entrusted here. Therefore, let us accept this watch in full readiness, heading towards the desired updates in our hearts.
42. Bright Knight
1933 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Canvas, tempera. 46.3 x 78.9 cm. There is a name “Warrior of Light”.
...Now unexpectedly, after ten months, the [magazine] “Art and Culture” has been resurrected - at the head are my [paintings]: “Holy Guests”, “Rigden[-Dzhapo]” and “The Bright Knight”. It's amazing how a magazine can exist with such almost year-long breaks without any explanation.
N.K.ROERICH Letters to America (1923-1947). - M.: Sfera, 1998. - 736 p. - Series “Roerich Archive”. 15.XI.46
43. Holy Mountains (Path to Kailash)
1933 Series "Holy Mountains" (compiled in 1933). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Canvas, tempera. 46.3 x 78.9 cm
“Let us continue our pilgrimage. ...We will cross the old road to Karnat, leading to Great Kailash, the seat of powerful hermits, and the waymark to Shambhala.”
N.K. Roerich “Heart of Asia”, p.99, New York, 1929
“Before us is the path to Kailash... Rishis lived here for the Good of the Universe!”
N.K. Roerich "Fiery Stronghold"
Kailash is one of the peaks of the Himalayas, 6724 m high.
The canvas depicts the sacred Mountain of the Gods Kailash, or the legendary Mount Meru. For Hindus, the heights of the Himalayas - Kailash - are the place of residence of the Gods, where the Gods, in vigilant watch, guide the spiritual growth of humanity.
“...God and the gods were the center of the spiritual life of every person, and these Mountains of the Gods were considered the center of the world.
And to this day, many pilgrims, approaching the holy Mount Kailash, often walk the last part of their journey around the ice-bound mountain, in their great fanaticism, on their knees.
Milarepa once meditated in the caves above the Kailasa abysses, where Buddha's disciples immersed themselves in spiritual contemplation.
On Mount Kailash, hermits still live in the caves of this wonderful mountain, filling the space with calls that awaken people to righteousness."
R.Rudzitis. Brotherhood of the Grail
Stones with ancient inscriptions about Truth. There are different stones, different signs of inscriptions, but they are all about the same Truth.
44. Mountain lake. Baralacha Pass (Mountain Lake. Bara-Lacha Pass)
1944 State Russian Museum. Russia. Saint Petersburg. Canvas, tempera. 61 x 123 cm.
“Mountain Lake” (1944) - everyone is surprised in this masterful work by the inexpressibly transparent violet-golden radiance of the mirror-like surface of the water, as if life-giving and fertile. What other artist could capture such a blessing in mountain nature? Above are rainbow stripes of snowy slopes, the greenish-scarlet sky harmonizing so well with the tone of the lake.
45. Brahmaputra
1945 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia. Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 41 x 103 cm
The painting depicts the sacred river of India, which originates from the great Lake Manasarovar - Lake Naga. Bramaputra means Son of Brahma. Approaching the Bramaputra during the trans-Himalayan expedition, N.K. Roerich wrote in his diary: “The wise Rigveda was born here, sacred Kailash is close here, where pilgrims go, sensing what a great path these places lie on... Among the rocks and sands , the Bramaputra flows in lilac and purple tones... She is even more respected than the Blue River. The Blue Yangtze River is the longest river in the world, but the Bramaputra is the son of Brahma, covered in a rich pattern of legends. It connects the sacred bed of the Ganges with the Himalayas, and Manasarovar is close to the Sutlej and the beginning of the Great Indus. Aryavarta also originated there... Approaching the Bramaputra, one can find even more legends associated with Shambhala. And one more circumstance gives these places an even more amazing impression: here in the direction of Everest lived a seer- the hermit Milarepa listening to the voices of the Devas before sunrise.Closer to the Shigatse region on the picturesque banks of the Bramaputra and towards the sacred lake Manasarovar, until quite recently there were Ashrams of the Mahatmas of the Himalayas. When you know this, when you know the facts surrounding these wonderful places, a special feeling fills you. Elderly people still live here who remember their personal meetings with the Mahatmas." (N.K. Roerich. Altai-Himalayas).
N.V. URIKOVA Description of 100 paintings by N.K. Roerich and 5 by S.N. Roerich
In the unforgettable sketch “Brahmaputra” (1945): the river, meandering, shines in the dawn rays of the sunrise, as if it flows from one morning to another, blissful morning.
R. RUDZITIS Cosmic strings in the works of Nicholas Roerich
46. Nanda Devi (Himalayas)
1937 State Museum of Oriental Art. Russia Moscow. Canvas, tempera. 44 x 78 cm.
Let us remember the myth “On the Origin of Mountains”. When the planetary Creator worked on the design of the firmament, he turned his attention to the fertile plains, which could give people quiet arable farming. But the Mother of the World said: “True, people will find both bread and trade on the plains, but when gold pollutes the plains, where will the pure in spirit go to strengthen themselves? Either let them receive wings, or let them be given mountains to escape the gold.” And the Creator answered: “It’s too early to give wings, they will bring death and destruction upon them, but we will give them mountains. Some may fear them, but for others they will be salvation.” This is how people on the plains and on the mountains differ.
Fiery World. II, 5
Something calling, indomitably attracting fills the human spirit when, overcoming all difficulties, it ascends to these heights. And the difficulties themselves, sometimes very dangerous, become only the most necessary and desirable steps, achieved only by overcoming earthly conventions. All the dangerous bamboo crossings through thundering mountain streams, all the slippery steps of centuries-old glaciers over disastrous abysses, all the inevitable descents before the next ascents and the whirlwind, and hunger, and cold, and heat are overcome where the cup of discoveries is full.
A. Yufereva, A. Lukasheva “N. Roerich", M., 1970
« Mountains, mountains! What kind of magnetism is hidden in you! What a symbol of tranquility lies in each sparkling peak. The bravest legends are born near the mountains. The most humane words come from the snowy heights.”
N.K. Roerich. Light up your hearts, pp. 157-159, M., 1978
47. Himalayas (Blue Mountains)
1939 State Russian Museum. Russia. Saint Petersburg. Canvas, tempera. 47 x 79 cm
When Roerich first came to the kingdom of the Himalayas, a majestic symphony of dazzling peaks opened before him in fabulous beauty, and above them - indescribably transparent azure distances. He walked like an “enchanted wanderer,” as if through a long-familiar fairyland. Everything seemed so close to his heart, as if in long-ago previous lives he had been an inhabitant of these majestic places.
Grandiose, massive, snow-covered mountain ranges, above which they move in the clouds, shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow, streams of light flow. The air itself is infinitely transparent, shining, ringing. And the silence of the peaks, in which you begin to hear yourself, the beating of your heart, perhaps even melodic sounds.
R. RUDZITIS Cosmic strings in the works of Nicholas Roerich
48. Two Worlds (Mountain of Five Treasures)
1933 Series Holy Mountains (composed in 1933). Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Canvas, tempera. 46.8 x 78.8 cm
N.K. Roerich. Himawat
Kang-chen-tsod-nga - Five Treasures of the Great Snows. Why is this majestic mountain called so? She keeps the five treasures of the world. What are these treasures? - gold, diamonds, rubies? No. The Old East values other treasures. It is said: the time will come when famine will cover the whole world. Then Someone will appear who will open great treasuries and nourish all humanity. Of course, you understand that Someone will feed humanity not with physical, but with spiritual food.
N. Roerich. Heart of Asia. Fenugreek
49. Himalayas No. 93 [Kanchenjunga]
1936 Nicholas Roerich Museum, USA, New York. Cardboard, tempera. 60.5 x 99 cm
“There is the entrance to the sacred country of Shambhala. Through underground caves through amazing ice caves, a select few, even in this life, reached the sacred place. All wisdom, all glory, all splendor are collected there... Kan-chen-tszond-nga - five treasures of the Great Snows . Why is this majestic mountain called so? It stores the five treasures of the World. What are these treasures? Gold, diamonds, rubies? No, the old East values other treasures. It is said: “The time will come when hunger will sweep the whole world. Then someone will appear who will open great treasuries and feed all of humanity." Of course, not with physical, but with spiritual food... On the way up to the top there are many caves of Kanchenjunga. In one of the caves there is a statue of Padma Sambhava - the Great Teacher of Tibet, and behind it you can see stone door - never opened by anyone...
N.K. Roerich. Altai-Himalayas, Heart of Asia
“Nowhere is there such sparkling, such spiritual richness as among these precious snows... Great hermits went here, for where can you rise from tropical vegetation to eternal snow in two transitions? All stages of tension of consciousness are here...
At altitudes of 11 thousand feet, the subtle body acquires a special quality. As altitude increases, the amount of food decreases and sleep decreases. Mountains are the beginning that leads out of the lower earthly conditions, from the ordinary requirements of the Earth. For earthly bodies, every thousand meters lifts into special conditions. Mountain conditions cannot be artificially reduced to earthly habits."
50. Kanchenjunga
1938 National Gallery of Foreign Art. Bulgaria, Sofia. Canvas, tempera. 45.7 x 78.7 cm
The Himalayan sketches of Nicholas Roerich are a unique phenomenon in world art. They revealed to us the beauty of the mountain world of the East, the spirit of the Himalayas, where the Cosmos merges with the planet in a single stream.
Nicholas Roerich created the paintings of the “Himalayas” series over many years, including during the field conditions of the Central Asian expedition, which dictated their small format and tempera technique of execution. They are a kind of picturesque pages of a travel diary, where real Himalayan landscapes are filled with the spiritual experience of the artist.
People in all parts of the world want to know about the Himalayas. The best people heartily strive for this treasure of India. At all times there has been an attraction to the Himalayas. People know that anyone seeking spiritual ascent should look towards the Himalayas.
N.K. Roerich. Himawat
Collected together, the Himalayan sketches of Nikolai Konstantinovich leave an unforgettable feeling. ... The mountains in Roerich’s sketches are woven from some special substance - vibrating, luminous, iridescent, inexplicably changeable, differently rhythmically organized. Like waves of the music of the spheres, stopped above, in front of the heavy, downward blackness of the foreground, they look at us.
51. Sacred Himalayas
1934 (1932)
The Himalayan sketches of Nicholas Roerich are a unique phenomenon in world art. They revealed to us the beauty of the mountain world of the East, the spirit of the Himalayas, where the Cosmos merges with the planet in a single stream.
Nicholas Roerich created the paintings of the “Himalayas” series over many years, including during the field conditions of the Central Asian expedition, which dictated their small format and tempera technique of execution. They are a kind of picturesque pages of a travel diary, where real Himalayan landscapes are filled with the spiritual experience of the artist.
People in all parts of the world want to know about the Himalayas. The best people heartily strive for this treasure of India. At all times there has been an attraction to the Himalayas. People know that anyone seeking spiritual ascent should look towards the Himalayas.
N.K. Roerich. HimawatThe album contains 2680 paintings and drawings by Nicholas Roerich, collected in chronological order and divided into 6 parts.
short biography
Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich, artist, archaeologist, writer, lawyer and messenger of peace was born in St. Petersburg on October 9, 1874. Already at an early age he showed a talent for archeology and drawing. At the age of sixteen, he wanted to enter the Academy of Arts to pursue a career as an artist, but his father insisted that he become a lawyer. A compromise was reached and in 1893 Nikolai entered the Academy of Arts and St. Petersburg University simultaneously.
Early years
The late 1890s saw a flowering of Russian art, especially in St. Petersburg, where the avant-garde formed groups and unions led by the young Sergei Diaghilev, who studied with Roerich at law school and was one of the first to appreciate his artistic talent. The young artist met many composers and artists of that time - Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky and bass Fyodor Chaliapin. He later developed the design of sheet music for these composers.
After graduating from university, Roerich married Elena, the daughter of the architect Shaposhnikov and the niece of the composer Mussorgsky. They had two sons: Svyatoslav and George.
Roerich took the post of secretary of the School of the Society for the Encouragement of Art, subsequently becoming its head, the first of many positions that Roerich would take as a teacher and artist.
The unification of the arts that Roerich encouraged testified to his ability to harmonize and find correspondence between apparent conflicts or opposites in all areas of life. His talent for synthesis allowed him to relate subjective feelings with objective, philosophical, scientific, Eastern wisdom with Western knowledge and build bridges of understanding between such apparent contradictions.
Artist and designer
In the summer of 1903 and 1904, the Roerichs traveled around Russia and visited a total of about 40 cities. The goal was to contrast the styles and historical context of Russian ancient monuments, churches, city walls and castles. It turned out that in many cases it had been neglected for centuries. Being an archaeologist and art historian, Nikolai attached key importance to this in the cultural history of Russia. He decided to pay attention to the situation and somehow organize the protection and preservation of ancient monuments, for this purpose he wrote a series of seventy-five works.
The impressions of this trip had a lasting effect, for upon his return in 1904, Roerich unveiled a plan that he hoped would promote the widespread protection of such cultural property, a plan outlined thirty-one years later in the “Roerich Pact.” This kind of thinking was not common in those days, but it underscored the importance of what most countries in the world are doing today to maintain their cultural heritage.
In 1906, Sergei Diaghilev organized an exhibition of Russian paintings in Paris. Sixteen works by Nicholas Roerich were presented there. And in 1909, he presented Chaliapin in Rimsky-Korsakov's Ivan the Terrible, with costumes and outfits designed by Roerich. In the Polovsk dances from Borodin's King Igor, also designed by Roerich, and in other ballets, Diaghilev introduced a corps of Russian dancers that later became known as the Russian Ballets, which included Pavlova, Fokine and Nijinsky.
Nicholas Roerich worked actively with Igor Stravinsky on the ballet “Le Sacre du Printemps” (“The Rite of Spring”).
In 1915-1917, the Roerich family lived in Finland. A revolution was raging in Russia and a return would be dangerous. In 1918, Nikolai held an exhibition of paintings in Stockholm and from there the family went to London. Sir Thomas Beecham invited the artist to design a new production of Prince Igor for the Covent Garden Opera House.
Later, Roerich accepted an invitation from the Art Institute of Chicago to come to America. The tour opened with a successful exhibition in New York in 1920. In addition to showing more than 400 of his paintings in American cities, Roerich worked on sets and costumes for the productions of “The Snow Maiden” and “Tristan and Isolde” for the Chicago Opera Company. During his travels across America, he painted a series of paintings in New Mexico and Monhegan, Maine. He was impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit in America, and Nicholas described the positive impact this growing phenomenon had on the world.
In 1921, he founded the Institute of United Art in New York, in which he planned to realize educational concepts included in curriculum in St. Petersburg. The Institute prospered but did not survive after 1937 due to the Great Depression. The funds ran out and this caused the complete collapse of the organization that Roerich and his supporters tried to build.
In 1949, the institute was reborn as the Nicholas Roerich Museum in a brownstone on West 107th Street, where it remains in operation today. It houses one of the most extensive collections of the artist's work in the world.
Faith and Spirit
In May 1923, the Roerichs went to India, where on this ageless land, among the snows of the Himalayan range, they sought to unite their thoughts with eternity. They settled in Bombay in December 1923 and from there began traveling to cultural centers and historical sites where they met Indian thinkers, scientists, artists and writers. Towards the end of December in Sikkim on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, they began an arduous trek through thirty-five mountain passes ranging from four to six and a half kilometers in height.
Roerich believed that mountains help to gain courage and develop fortitude. And, despite the obstacles, wherever they went, the Roerichs’ faith in the essential goodness of life and the spirituality of man only intensified.
Roerich's masterpieces from the Eastern Series of nineteen paintings depicting the religious teachers of the world, Mohammed, Jesus, Moses, Confucius and Buddha, Indian and Christian saints and sages, testified to the unity of religious aspiration and the common roots of human faith.
At the end of this large-scale expedition, in 1928, the family settled in the Kullu Valley at an altitude of 2000 meters in the foothills of the Himalayas. There they established their home and the headquarters of the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute, which was organized to study the results of past and future research. The Institute's activities included botanical, ethnological, linguistic and archaeological research.
Peace Banner
Upon returning to New York, Nicholas Roerich proposed concluding an agreement on the protection of cultural property in times of war and peace. Using the Red Cross as an example, he prepared a Pact in which it was intended that a flag, the “Banner of Peace,” would mark all places under its protection. This flag's design features three spheres surrounded by a purple circle on a white background. The interpretation of this symbol is based on the union of religion, art and science, which are aspects of culture, depicted in the form of a circle or the past, present and future achievements of mankind, protected in the circle of Eternity.
The Roerich Pact was agreed upon by twenty countries of North and South America and signed on May 15, 1935 at the White House by President Roosevelt; other countries later joined it. This agreement still remains in force. Many individuals, groups and associations around the world continue to promote the Pact, the Banner and its founding principles.
Roerich was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the work he did in the field of preserving the cultural heritage of mankind.
Following the sophistication and beauty of the world was sacred for Roerich. He believed that although earthly temples and artifacts may perish, the thought embodied in them does not die, but is part of the eternal stream of consciousness - the aspirations of people, fueled by their directed will and the energy of thought. Finally, he believed that peace on Earth was the main prerequisite for the survival of humanity and the continuous process of spiritual evolution.
Nicholas Roerich died in Kullu on December 13, 1947 and his ashes were buried under the mountains that he loved so much and depicted in most of his nearly seven thousand works.
Petersburger Nicholas Roerich entered the history of Russian culture not only as a subtle master of philosophical painting, but also as the author of numerous works on philosophy and even a poet. During Roerich's studies at the Academy of Arts, Kuindzhi became his teacher, and the teacher's ability to acutely sense and convey nature was passed on to his student.
Roerich was interested in archeology from his youth. He took part in several archaeological excavations on the territory of the Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and Pskov provinces and believed that penetration into the rich culture of Rus' would enrich the souls of his contemporaries.
Roerich's passion for Russian culture grew into the artist's participation in the creation of numerous sketches for church frescoes and mosaics. So the artist developed a sketch for the Kyiv Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Peter and Paul in Shlisselburg, and even participated in the development of the iconostasis for the Church of the Kazan Mother of God in the Perm Assumption Monastery. Contemporaries noted the artist’s religiosity. He held long conversations with Saint John of Kronstadt, and the result of these conversations were paintings full of thoughtful spiritual quests, dedicated to the history of Ancient Rus'.
Already when Roerich was painting on historical topics, such as “Building Boats”, “Idols”, he pays great attention to color. The color in Roerich's paintings is always pure, there is a lot of light literally emitted by the canvas. Clouds occupy a large place in the artist’s paintings. The combination of white clubs hanging over the Russian expanses gives the paintings an aloof and majestic appearance.
Roerich often touched upon the theme of northern nature. His painting “Holy Island”, on which he depicted Valaam, is impressive.
After the revolution, Roerich remained in Finland, where he lived. He has no opportunity to return to Russia, and he accepts an invitation from Sweden to participate in art exhibitions, after which he goes to England. Roerich hoped that in this way he would be able to fulfill his old dream - to visit India.
Roerich's interest in India awoke after his participation in an expedition to Manchuria, where he became acquainted with the Buddhist religion. Roerich even helped design a Buddhist temple in St. Petersburg, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. After Roerich managed to visit Tibet with the help of his English and American painting colleagues, new motifs appeared in his paintings.
Roerich still chose for his paintings philosophical stories. His landscapes are vaguely reminiscent of some examples of Chinese painting: they also contrast majestic nature with a small man in comparison. For example, in the canvas “The Risen Dream of the East,” clouds swirl above small huts. The rendering of color, which combines all shades of cold tones, is characteristic of Roerich. Rich lines convey the feeling of life in these clouds of steam.
The philosophical painting “Remember” seems to remind us that life is the ability to observe nature, listen to it, because only through penetration into nature can you understand your soul.
Roerich painted more than 7,000 paintings. They are exhibited in many large museums in Russia; several separate Roerich museums have been created in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Altai. Roerich continues to be appreciated for his unique paintings, full of meditative beauty.
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