Nicholas Roerich

Born: 09 October 1874; Saint Petersburg

Died: 13 December 1947; Punjab, India

Field: painting

Nationality: Russian

Art Movement: Symbolism

School or Group: Mir Iskusstva (World of Art)

"The original force of Roerich's work consists in a masterly and marked symmetry and a definite rhythm, like the melody of an epic song"

-Nina Selivanova

Nicholas Roerich was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1874. His father was a lawyer and his was brought up in a comfortable upper middle class family where he came in contact with many writers, artists and scientists who often came to visit. He developed an interest in archeology, collecting prehistoric artifacts, coins, minerals and built his own arboretum for study of plants and trees.

Nicholas showed aptitude for drawing at a very young age and wished to pursue career as an artist while his father didn’t consider painting a fit vocation so a compromise was reached and Nicholas enrolled in Academy of Art and simultaneously at St. Petersburg University in 1893.

In 1895, Nicholas met Vladimir Stasov and through him he was introduced to Igor Stravinsky, Mussorgsky and other composers and artists. Avid enthusiasm for music was developed and these musical terms and analogies can be applied to Roerich's painting. He related music to color and color harmonies.

In 1890, Russian art blossomed particularly in St. Petersburg. Sergei Diaghilev, a senior of Nicholas at the law school was among the first to appreciate Nicholas's talent as a painter.

Diaghilev has founded a magazine-The world of Art which has a short life but had important influence in Russian Art Circles. Roerich contributed to it and sat on the editorial board. The other artists involved were Alexandre Benois and Leon Bakst who later became Roerich's coworkers.

Roerich met Helena, a talented pianist and author of many books, daughter of architect Shaposhnikov. There was immediate mutual attraction and they were engaged. Roerich set off to Europe to visit museums, exhibitions, studios and salons. On his return his marriage took place. Later in New York, Nicholas and Helena founded Agni Yoga society.

Roerich became the secretary of the school of the society for the Encouragement of Art, later became its head. He instituted a system to teach all the arts under one roof and gave faculty a free rein to design their own curriculum.

This cross fertilization of arts promoted by Roerich was evidence of his inclination to harmonize conflicts in all areas of life. This was the hallmark of his thinking. In his art, he defied categorization and created a unique personal universe. These "connections" appeared natural to him and presented themselves in all life's manifestations.  He admired the talent of synthesis and correlated the subjective with the objective, the philosophical with the scientific, eastern wisdom with the western knowledge, built bridges of understanding between such apparent contradictions. He reminded us that contradictions are result of man's ignorance. An expanding consciousness would lead to eventual recognition of illusion.

Garabed Paelian affirms "Nicholas Roerich learned things ignored by other men, perceived relations between seemingly isolated phenomena and unconsciously felt the presence of an unknown treasure". This unknown treasure in Roerich's paintings speaks to the viewer attuned to that underlying meaning. We can experience a transcendental feeling through his canvas.

In 1902, after the birth of his first son they went on a journey of forty cities through Russia to contrast the styles and historical context of Russian architecture. He located remnants of Russia's past- ancient monuments, churches, castles and city walls. He protected and preserved and with this goal in mind he painted a series of 75 works depicting the structures.

In 1904, Roerich painted the first of his paintings on religious themes dealing mostly with Russian saints and legends.

The Stone Age particularly intrigued him and his paintings reflected this interest. In comparing these correspondences he came to instructive conclusions as to the commonality of human expression and creativity.

In 1906, as an entrepreneurial effort to bring Russian art to the attention of Europeans, Sergei Diaghilev arranged an exhibition of Russian Paintings in Paris. It included 16 works by Nicholas Roerich. His paintings depicted the ancient cultures and their practices.

In the years immediately preceding World War I, Roerich sense an impending cataclysm and his paintings symbolically depicted the awful scale of conflict he felt descending upon the world. He used violent contrast of light and darkness to suggest terrible events that would soon overtake Russia and Europe.

In his depiction of both historical and natural themes and use of allegory had become essential ingredients in his work.  Nicholas Roerich used symbolism, a style to represent the reality in its gritty particularity. It was a way to unleash his spirituality, imagination and dreams. Symbolism allowed him to signify the state of his mind, his poetic soul.  He promoted extreme individualism and act of creation. There was mythological and dream imagery.  Although he painted landscapes, his paintings reflected not just his art but also his imagination, emotion and idea. His paintings are a synthesis of form and feelings of reality.

In 1915 Roerich became ill with pneumonia and he was sent to Finland. In this period of great unrest in the world and family, Roerich’s paintings seemed to express a sense of poignant longing.

Nicholas Roerich accepted an invitation to go to America for a tour at Kingore Gallery in New York. During his travels in America Roerich painted a series in New Mexico and the ocean series in Monhegan.

In 1921, Nicholas founded the Master Institute of United Arts. He attracted a talented group of instructors in courses that included all musical instruments, aspects of painting and drawing, design and illustration, sculpture, architecture, ballet, drama, journalism and languages. This institute flourished but didn’t not survive beyond 1937. In 1949 this institute was reborn as Nicholas Roerich museum, it remains until the present. Many paintings from the original collection can now be seen there, in the intervening years major works have been added, making it one of the most comprehensive collection of the artists' work in the world.

Orientation toward Eastern spiritual values is reflected in much of Roerich’s creative work.

The bridge of glory is Roerich’s metaphor for the future spiritual bridge that will connect heaven and earth. It is a depiction of a view of clouds and sky. Bridge of glory is tempera on canvas. The blue palette is very soothing. The flaring haze is represented by strokes of yellow and white standing out amongst the blue and black. The glow of the Himalayan range remind one of the accumulations which ears and eyes cannot perceive. Nicholas Roerich says that the heart can sense it and it will beat with agitation and solemnity. There is spark as well as solitude in the painting. The different shades of blue have been used to represent depth, mass and vastness of the mountains. The contrast of the light and tone add to magnificence of the painting. All the paintings are a testimony to Roerich’s prolific output.

Figure 1 Bridge of Glory 1923

Style: Symbolism | Genre: cloudscape | Technique: tempera | Material: canvas | Dimensions: 82 x 163 cm

Only at the margins of the canvas there appear two people but they are important part of the whole grounding the soaring majesty of the backdrop as well as providing context for the allusive story that he tells through his canvas.

Roerich wrote a collection of 64 blank verse poems in which we find Roerich's inner journey charted and his commitment to the spiritual search stated. These poems evoked some images which Roerich later used in his paintings to help us understand the symbols and meanings that lie behind some of them.

In May, 1923 Roerichs went to India, where amid the snows of the Himalayan range, they sought to turn their thoughts to the eternal. Roerichs went on an expedition into untracked regions where they studied the religion, languages, customs and culture of the inhabitants.

Nicholas Roerich painted around 500 or so paintings during the trek.  In all the paintings we can see the philosophical concepts and ideas giving birth to visual images and the splendor of Northern India providing the physical setting.

The arduous trek to him were challenges he felt he was born for, believing that the rigor of the mountains helped a man to find courage and develop strength of spirit. Everywhere Nicholas's belief in the essential goodness of life and spirituality of man was reinforced.

His paintings depicting the world's religious teachers was a testimonial to the unity of religious striving and the common roots of man's faith.

 In 1928 Roerich's family settled in Kullu Valley and established the headquarters of the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute where botanical and ethnological linguistic studies and exploration of the archeological sites was done.

Roerich was an unsurpassed master of mountains. He was convinced that mountains helped a man to find courage and develop strength of spirit.

Figure 2 Himalayas 1933

Style: Symbolism | Genre: landscape | Technique: tempera | Material: canvas | Dimensions: 73.5 x 116.5 cm

In his Himalayan paintings one easily find evidence of loftiness of spirit and sense of mission that led Roerich to attempt the tasks he set for himself. There is the sense of drama, urgency to a message to send or receive, a traveler to greet, a mission to perform, a path to travel. The towering mountains stand for the spiritual goals that humanity must set for itself.  Roerich urges people on their spiritual destiny and reminds them of their duty to prepare for the new era.

Nicholas Roerich writes in his book Altai Himalaya that if one wants to see a beautiful spot, one must ask the inhabitants of a town to point out the most ancient site.

Nicholas Leaves us awestruck by the lights and colors used to depict the might Himalayan range. It’s as if he has created a new paradise. It has unmatched breadth, depth and scope. It’s like stepping into an alternate universe where mountains perform the roles of deity, habitat, scenery and a spiritual challenge all in one.

Nicholas considered Himalaya as a symbol of humanity's inherent hunger for transcendence through beauty and knowledge, a common cultural thread that he had observed in his wide ranging travels. He called the range the "treasure house of spirit"

In April 1935, the "Roerich pact" treaty was signed which symbolized Roerich’s vision for humanity to be united. To create a common and sincere language. To be united in beauty and knowledge.

The pursuit of refinement and beauty was sacred for Roerich. He believed that although earthly temples and artifacts may perish, the thought that brings them into existence does not die but it is a part of an eternal stream of consciousness. Nicholas believed that peace on earth was prerequisite to planetary survival and continuing process of spiritual evolution.

Figure 3  Star of the Hero 1936

Style: Symbolism | Genre: landscape | Technique: tempera | Material: canvas | Dimensions: 92.3 x 122 cm

Over the years, his style changes. From real, tangible geography, his paintings turn inwards.  As it can be seen in his famous painting of 1936 " Star of the Hero", He gives a hint of indistinctness and interpretive haze. Paintings become more metaphorical and even without delving too deep in his symbolism, it’s impossible not to come away from his huge and varied body of art without a profound sense of peace.

This is indeed an inspiring image, rendered with majesty in deep tones of sea blue and black. Nicholas Roerich has justified himself as the most talented painter of Russia’s ancient past.

His art is imbued with a special blessing that comes deep within the souls. Through his art we get a glimpse of something ethereal and deep.  The landscapes feature a hidden treasure in the mountains symbolizing the search in high places for truth that is hidden within us. All his paintings are thought provoking.

Nicholas Roerich died in Kull in 1947. His body was cremated and ashes were buried on a slope facing the mountains, overlooking green hills and snowy peaks which he loved and portrayed in many of his near seven thousand works wherein he has never let the quality suffer.