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Nikolai Roerich, an outstanding Russian painter, set designer, philosopher, archaeologist, writer, academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts, was born
Painter, writer, a passionate advocate of Russian antiquity and an outstanding artist and thinker, Nikolai Roerich, was born on September 27 (old style: October 9), 1874,. His work is a remarkable phenomenon in the history of Russian and global culture.
Roerich was born in Saint Petersburg to Konstantin and Maria Kalashnikova. While studying at a gymnasium, he began to show an interest in painting, archaeology, and history. After completing his studies at the Law Faculty of Saint Petersburg Imperial University from 1893 to 1898, he continued his education at the Higher Art School of the Imperial Academy of Arts. There, he studied under the guidance of Professor A.I. Kuindzhi from 1893 to 1897, and attended lectures at the Historical and Philological Faculty of the University.
As a student, N. K. Roerich joined the Imperial Russian Archaeological Society and began taking an active part in archaeological excavations. He was fascinated by the distant times of Russia's beginning and Slavic history, as well as pagan antiquity and ancient Russian traditions. Under the influence of these interests, he created two paintings: Morning of Kiev Heroism (1895) and Evening of Kiev Heroism (1896). However, it was his third painting, Messenger: Rise Up from Generation to Generation, that brought him universal recognition as a painter.
The work was exhibited at the final exams at the Academy of Fine Arts and was highly praised, leading to its purchase by P.M. Tretyakov for 800 rubles. This early work by N.K. Roerich marks the beginning of his career as a renowned artist.. Roerich's paintings, which reflect ancient Russian motifs, showcase the artist's unique style and deep knowledge of history. Some of his most famous works include Elders Converge (1898), Overseas Guests (1901), Idols (1901), The City is Being Built (1902), Building Rooks (1903), and The Watch (1905).
In 1901, N. K. Roerich became the secretary of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Artists and, in 1906, director of the Drawing School within the society. During this time, he traveled extensively to historical sites in Russia, researching ancient monuments.
In 1909, Roerich was elected an academician at the Imperial Academy of Arts and, in 1910, he took on the leadership of the art association, Mir Iskusstvo. His goal was to instill an interest in Russian society for the heritage of ancient Russia, which he compared to a "still-undrunk cup".
Between 1910 and 1914, Roerich edited the multi-volume publication of The History of Russian Art, and in 1914 became the editor and co-creator of the collection, Russian Icons. In 1915, he presented a report to Emperor Nicholas II regarding the need for governmental protection of Russian historical monuments.
As an artist, N. Roerich worked extensively in the fields of easel painting, monumental art (frescoes and mosaics), and theatrical and decorative art. During the Russian Seasons in Paris from 1909 to 1913, he was one of the most renowned Russian artists in Europe. His stage designs were particularly successful during the famous Russian Seasons organized by S.P. Diaghilev in Paris.
Since 1905, Roerich's work began to incorporate oriental motifs inspired by his interest in Eastern philosophy, such as Devassari Abuntu (1905) and Devassari Abuntu with Birds (1906). His later works, such as The Border of the Kingdom (1916), continued to explore these themes.
In 1916, N.K. Roerich moved with his family to the Grand Duchy of Finland due to illness. As a result of the events of 1917, the revolutionary unrest and the closure of borders, he was separated from his homeland and began his emigration journey.
From 1919 until 1923, Roerich lived and worked in various cities, including Vyborg and London, and exhibited his work in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. In 1920, he received an invitation to conduct a successful exhibition in the United States at the suggestion of the director of the Chicago Institute of Art. During this time, he also lectured on Russian art and founded the Master Institute of United Arts in New York in 1921, the International Cultural Center Corona Mundi in 1922, and the publishing house Alatas in 1923.
In 1923, Nikolai Roerich left the United States in order to fulfill his long-held dream of visiting India. Between 1924 and 1928, as well as in 1934 and 1935, he conducted research expeditions in Central and East Asia. During these journeys, he collected valuable archaeological and ethnographic materials.
To process these materials, the Institute of Himalayan Studies was established in New York in 1928. In 1929, the Urusvati Institute was founded in the Kullu Valley of Northern India. This institute was named after the Sanskrit word for "morning dawn".
The creative and spiritual results of Roerich's travels included numerous paintings, particularly a series called Himalayas, Maitreya, and Teachers of the East. Additionally, he wrote books that reflected his spiritual and philosophical explorations, such as Altai - Himalayas (1929), The Heart of Asia (also 1929), and Shambhala (1930).
Since the 1920s, Nikolai Roerich dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to educational and social initiatives. In 1928, in collaboration with Georgy Shklyaver, a doctor of international law and political sciences at the University of Paris, he drafted a treaty on the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments, which became known as the Roerich Pact. This document served as the foundation for the Hague Convention of 1954 on the Protection of Cultural Property during Armed Conflict.
Since 1936, N. Roerich had been sending official appeals to the Soviet government requesting to return to his homeland, but these requests went unanswered. Initially, the artist had a negative reaction to the Bolsheviks, but in the early 1920s, he changed his attitude towards communism.
In 1926, Roerich handed over a casket containing Himalayan soil and a painting of Lenin to the USSR, addressing it as Mahatma Lenin, a respectful title given to a highly respected spiritual person in Hinduism. During the Great Patriotic War, Roerich donated money from the sale of his paintings to the Red Cross fund and the Red Army, and during this time he created several paintings depicting Russian military history, such as Igor's Campaign, Alexander Nevsky, Victory, and Partisans.
N. Roerich passed away on December 13, 1947, in India, in the village of Naggar. In his name, a memorial sign was erected at his cremation site in the Kulu Valley, honoring him as Maharishi Nicholas Roerich, a great friend of India.
Lit.: Держава Рериха: [Сб.]. М., 1994; Короткина Л. В. Рерих в Петербурге–Петрограде. Л., 1985; Рерих Николай Константинович // Большая российская энциклопедия: научно-образовательный портал [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://bigenc.ru/c/rerikh-nikolai-konstantinovich-9b0648/?v=7050854; Рерих Николай Константинович: Биография, Хронология, Мировое признание, Н. К. Рерих о Культуре // Международный Центр Рерихов [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://icr.su/rus/family/nkr/biograph/index.php; Рерих Николай Константинович // Интернет-энциклопедия «РУВИКИ» [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://ru.ruwiki.ru/?curid=896428&oldid=1198208716; Каталог картин Н. К. и С. Н. Рерихов [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://gallery.facets.ru/index.php.
Based on the materials of Presidential Library:
Н. К. Рерих / текст А. А. Ростиславова. Петроград, [1918];
Н. Рерих: [Сб. ст.] / [Сост.:] А. Мантель. Казань, 1912 (доступно в электронном читальном зале);
Русское искусство за рубежом = L'art russe a l'etranger / Сост. Вал. Булгаков и Алексей Юпатов; Предисл. акад. Н. Рериха. Прага; Рига, 1939 (доступно в электронном читальном зале);
Государственный Русский музей. Отдел рукописей. Ф. 34. Оп. 1. Д. 351. Школа общества поощрения художеств. Благодарность Врубель Анне Александровне за принесение в дар произведений М. А. Врубеля. Подпись Рериха Н. 1921 (доступно в электронном читальном зале).