Nicholas Roerich
«The creativity is a pure pray of spirit.
Art - heart of the people.
Knowledge - brain of the people.
Only by heart and wisdom
Can be united and understand each other mankind»
(Nicholas Roerich).
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Roerich Nikolay Konstantinovich.
(October, 9th 1874 - December, 13th 1947).
The Spiritual devotee, an outstanding artist, the traveller, scientific, the writer, the public figure. Was born in St. Petersburg. Has ended the Academy of arts and university. Veins in Finland, England, the USA, India. The author of the Pact of Roerich on protection of cultural values.
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Biographical outline
"Man, who builds life full of sunlight" - from Letters of Helena Roerich
The alphabetic index and the chronological index
Nicholas Roerich, (October 9, 1874 - December 13, 1947) also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (alternative transliteration) (Russian: Николай Константинович Рерих), 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. 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, and 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
Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich was born on September 27 (9 October), 1874 in St. Petersburg, on Bazil Island, University embankment, number 25, where now a memorial plaque is installed. N.K.Roerich's ancestors belonged to an ancient Scandinavian kin and had settled in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century. His father was the owner of the notary's office, a prominent lawyer, a man of big culture and great erudition. N.K. Roerich studied in the gymnasium of Karl May, known for its humanitarian traditions. In those years he showed skills for drawing and interest for archaeological digs.
In 1893 he became a student of the Academy of Arts and the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg State University, attended lectures at the Faculty of History and Philology, took active part in the activities of the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society (since 1896), studied ancient manuscripts, charters and drawings. "Legal Status of an Artist in Ancient Russia" was the topic of his thesis.
In the High Drawing School of the Academy of Arts he was studying in the studio of A.I.Kuindgi. And when the teacher had been unfairly fired, he protesting, left the Academy together with other students in 1897.
In these years he created a series of paintings "The Beginning of Russia. The Slavs". This topic became a leading one in his creative activities for a number of years.
In 1901 N.K.Roerich married Helena Ivanovna Shaposhnikova, the daughter of a well-known architect. She was a grandniece of the commander M.I.Golenishev-Kutuzov, a charming and talented woman.
Together with his wife N.K. Roerich left for archaeological expeditions, travelled around ancient Russian towns, got acquainted with the Russian folklore and architecture. More than 90 paintings devoted to the history of Russia became the result of the trips of 1903-1904.
In 1906 N.K.Roerich headed the School of Drawing of the Imperial Society for Encouragement of Arts - the biggest artistic and industrial educational institution in Russia. The Ancient Russian history and epos became the main topic of Roerich's works of art of that time. On his canvases he was combining the knowledge of the scientist-archaeologist and the artist's delicate intuition. These topics were also embodied in the theatre scenery painting. He created the scenery sketches and costume design for the following operas of N.K.Rimsky-Korsakov: "Snow Maiden", "Pskovityanka", "Sadko", "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh", to the ballet by I.Stravinsky "The Sacred Spring", etc. In 1909 N.K. Roerich took part in the enterprise of S.P.Dyagilev - well-known "Russian Ballet Seasons" in Paris.
Roerich created a whole series of paintings on fairy tales subjects, folklore drew his utmost attention. "We are surrounded by wonders, but we are blind and do not see them. We are flown with opportunities, but do not see them in the darkness", wrote Roerich, appealing to treat fairy tales and legends with attention because they combine historic facts and knowledge about the surrounding world.
The interest to the life of ancient Slavs, to the sources of Ancient Russia organically combined with the interest towards East - the cradle of the human civilization. "I have been driven to the heart of Asia for a long time, since yearly years", writes Roerich in the "Diary Pages" The artist created a large number of artistic and literature works using oriental subjects, mainly adopted from the Indian mythology. India, the "great mother" of European cultures, "the initial motherland" of the mankind was causing his special interest. The hypothesis about the same roots of Indian and Russian cultures required evidence and facts…
In 1910 he became the Head of the Artistic Society "The World of Art", which united A.N.Benois, M.V.Dobuzhinsky, K.A.Somov, V.E.Borisov-Musatov, Z.E. Serebryakova, E.E.Lanseret and many others. In 1910-ies in St. Petersburg Roerich took part in the work and sometimes in the foundation of numerous educational institutions: the School of Drawing of the Imperial Society for Encouragement of Arts, Museum of Old St. Petersburg, Society named after A.I.Kuindgi, Society of artists-architects, and Committee on the foundation of the Museum of Art and Life of times before Peter the Great, Russian Art and Ancient Life Monuments Preservation Society, Artistic Russia Recreation Society, Ladies' Higher Architectural Knowledge Courses, Ladies' Artistic and Industrial Workshops, Workshops for Physically Disabled Former Warriors. His talent and skills as well as the recognition of him as an artist who has found a unique niche and particular expressive artistic language were continuously growing. With his prophetical works just before World War I ("Snake's scream", "Doomed Town", etc) he gained the fame of the "great intuitionalist".
In 1918 a new "foreign" stage in N.K.Roerich's life began. It turned out that in 1916 he fell ill with pneumonia and doctors recommended him to leave Petrograd for places with a drier climate. He chose Serdobol (Sortavala), on the north shore of the Ladoga Lake. The time spent in the north proved to be very fruitful in what regards his creative activities: the Karelian cycle of paintings, autobiographical novel "Flame", poetical cycle "Moria's Flowers", miracle play " Mercy", in which the painter expressed his point of view on the revolutionary catastrophe in Russia and the role of the genuine Knowledge in the human life. It was then that the painter's spiritual formation was finished and his further way got defined. After Finland gained independence the Roerichs found themselves cut off from Russia. Roerich's attitude towards the Bolsheviks' politics, especially in the field of culture was more than just negative. Since his paintings were exhibited in Finland, Sweden and Norway, he lived in these countries for some time. Then after S.P Dyagilev who was at that time conducting the Russian Ballet Seasons in London invited him, Roerich came to England and started painting the scenery and creating costumes for Russian operas "Snow Maiden", "Prince Igor", "Fairy Tale about Tsar Saltan".
?In 1920 N.K.Roerich accepted the invitation from Chicago University to arrange an exhibition. In the USA where he spent three years he got a wonderful opportunity to expand his cultural and educational activities, as well as thoroughly prepare an expedition to Central Asia. His organizational talent showed itself in the foundation of the Institute of United Arts, International Art Centre "Corona Mundi" ("The World's Wreath"), which purpose was the cultural collaboration of all nations. It was then that the Museum named after N.K.Roerich was founded in New York. The painter's spiritual life was no less intense. His manuscripts of the Teacher's directions, known from the times of E.P.Blavatskaya as Mahatma Moria, form a separate book - "The Leaves of Moria's Garden. Summons". It became the first volume of the widely known Theory of Living Ethics, or Agni Yoga. Roerich also visited Arizona and New Mexico to study and depict on canvas the tracks of Ancient American civilizations. However the Orient remained the main N.K.Roerich's dream.
Starting from 1923 the Roerich family went on a great 5-years' long voyage around India, Central Asia, to the Tibet, North-Western China, in the Altai Mountains and Mongolia. In these years Roerich created around 500 paintings (cycles "Sancta", "Oriental Banners"; "The Strongholds of the Tibet", etc). He also conducted research of the artistic monuments, ancient manuscripts, rites and traditions, religious cults, created numerous collections. Roerich created the images of the great Teaches and hermits of the mankind - Buddha, Krishna, Mahomet, San Francesco d'Assisi, Sergi Radonezhsky, of the philosophers Confucius and Lao-Tzu. In these years his doctrine on culture was finally formed.
In 1926 the Roerichs came to Moscow. The artist passed to the Soviet Government the message of Mahatmas, oriental spiritual teachers. He met with G.V.Chicherin and A.V.Lunacharsky, presented to Russia a cycle of paintings "Majtreja" and continued his voyage around Asia. At the end of the great Central Asian expedition Roerich published his voyage diary "The Altai-Himalaya" and a book "The Heart of Asia", in which he described the way of his expedition across 35 mountain passes. He succeeded in catching up the sense of the prophecies and legends that are alive since ancient times, touched the mysteries of Shambala. "The Shambala Doctrine is highly vital", wrote Roerich. "This doctrine from the Himalayan does not offer dreams but it offers very practical advice". The main mistake is the simplified understanding of Shambala, search for a particular place on a geographic map. Way to Shambala is a way of consciousness.
In 1928 Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich and Helena Ivanovna Roerich founded the Institute of the Himalayan Studies "Urusvati" in the Indian valley of Kulu. Their son George Roerich was appointed its Head. (The Institute that once attracted attention of a number of prominent scientists like A.Einstein, N.I.Vavilov, D.Boshet terminated its activities because of the World War II.) The valley of Kulu became the permanent place of living for the Roerichs. From Kulu at the beginning of 1930-ies Roerich started his voyage to the USA and Europe and then went for an expedition. These efforts led to signing in 1935 of the Roerich Pact, International Agreement on Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions as well as Historical Monuments during war and peace.
In 1934-1935 Roerich visited China and Mongolia (Manchuria expedition). Upon the assignment of the US Ministry of agriculture he was conducting research of drought-resistant plants. Besides, he was involved in a vast social educational programme among Russian immigrants in Harbin. Together with his son George and brother V.K.Roerich, he was establishing the cooperative movement. Big plans on irrigation of the desert lands and creation of new settlements and University centre were developed based on the aspiration of help from Mongolia government. The programme article "Let the Deserts Flourish" is devoted to these ideas. Since 1935 Roerich lived in Kulu, devoting a lot of time to painting, publishing, correspondence and great public work, meeting with progressive Indian figures (J.Neru and I.Gandi were his guests). He returned to the topic of the fate of Russia again and again, writing down in his notebook: "All around me I can see two topics combined together - Russia and the Himalaya".
That is why so natural was the painting of such canvases as: "Heroes Waking Up", "Sviatogor", "Nastasia Mikulichna" devoted to the deed of the Russian nation in the Great Patriotic War. There was one thing that distinguished this person till his last days - he was extraordinarily hard-working. The total number of his canvases, according to the estimations of fine arts specialists, varies from five to seven thousand. The literature heritage of N.K.Roerich is no less great: ten volumes were published in his lifetime, but this is far not the full collection of notes, essays, articles, letters and speeches, the best description for which was chosen by the Indian professor Gengoli - "spiritual appeals".
N.K. Roerich died on December 13, 1947 in the valley of Kulu. A monument was erected on the place where his body was cremated. The monument has the following inscription:
"The body of the Great Saint (Maharishi) Nicholas Roerich, a great friend of India was burnt at this place on Maghar 30, 2004 of the Vikram era, which coincides with December 15, 1974. Om ram".
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