Nicholas Roerich
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Nicholas Roerich, (October 9, 1874 - December 13, 1947) also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (misspelled surname) (Russian: Николай Константинович Рерих), was a Russian painter, theosophist[1][2] and philosopher. He was the father of Tibetologist George Roerich (a.k.a. Yuri Roerich) and artist Svetoslav Roerich. Nicholas and his wife Helena Roerich were co-founders of the Agni Yoga Society.
Born in pre-revolutionary Saint Petersburg, Russia to the family of a well-to-do notary public, he lived around the world until his death in Punjab, India. Trained as an artist and a lawyer, his interests lay in literature, philosophy, archaeology and especially art.
| Nicholas Roerich | |
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| Born | October 9, 1874 Saint Petersburg, Russia |
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| Died | December 13, 1947 Punjab, India |
| Nationality | Russia |
| Occupation | painter, archeologist |
| Spouse | Helena Roerich |
| Children | George Roerich, Svetoslav Roerich |
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
In his early life Nicholas Roerich (Ukrainian: Микола Костянтинович Реріх) (Russian: Николай Константинович Рерих) had close ties to Ukraine and Ukrainian culture. Influenced by such prominent Ukrainian sympathizers of his time as Taras Shevchenko, Nikolai Gogol, and Nikolay Kostomarov, he had prized Shevchenko's influential book of poems Kobzar as one of his favorite books. [3]. Between 1903 and 1906 Roerich's drafts for Pokrova were implemented in the Kyiv region, in the 1910 mosaic for Troyicky cathedral in the famous Pechersk Lavra.
Roerich's stage-designs for the premiere of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, given in Paris in 1913, and based on ancient Russian motifs, were highly innovative and influential. They were an important element in the success and the scandal of this epochal musical event.
[edit] America
He first visited New York City in 1920. After touring the United States, he and his wife settled in the city, founding the Master Institute of the United Arts. They also joined various theosophical societies and their activities in these groups dominated their lives.
[edit] Asian Expedition
After leaving New York, the Roerichs - together with their son George and six friends - went on the five-year long 'Roerich Asian Expedition' that, in Roerich's own words: "started from Sikkim through Punjab, Kashmir, Ladakh, the Karakoram Mountains, Khotan, Kashgar, Qara Shar, Urumchi, Irtysh, the Altai Mountains, the Oryot region of Mongolia, the Central Gobi, Kansu, Tsaidam, and Tibet" with a detour through Siberia to Moscow in 1926. Between the summer of 1927 and June of 1928 the expedition was thought to be lost, since all contact from them ceased for a year. They had been attacked in Tibet and only the "Superiority of our firearms prevented bloodshed. ... In spite of our having Tibet passports, the expedition was forcibly stopped by Tibetan authorities". The expedition was detained by the government for five months, and forced to live in tents in sub-zero conditions and to subsist on meagre rations. Five men of the expedition died at this time. In March of 1928 they were allowed to leave Tibet, and trekked south to settle in India, where they founded a research center, the Himalayan Research Institute.
[edit] Cultural work
In 1929 Nicholas Roerich was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the University of Paris. (He received two more nominations in 1932 and 1935.[4]) His concern for peace led to his creation of the Pax Cultura, the "Red Cross" of art and culture. His work in this area also led the United States and the twenty other members of the Pan-American Union to sign the Roerich Pact on April 15, 1935 at the White House. The Roerich Pact is an early international instrument protecting cultural property.
Vice President of the United States Henry A. Wallace was a frequent correspondent and sometime follower of Roerich's teachings, which caused some controversy when Wallace ran for President in 1948 and portions of the letters were printed by Hearst Newspapers columnist Westbrook Pegler.
H.P. Lovecraft referred to the "strange and disturbing paintings of Nicholas Roerich" in his Antarctic horror story At the Mountains of Madness.
[edit] Legacy
Today, the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York City is a major center for Roerich's artistic work. Numerous Roerich societies continue to promote his theosophical teachings worldwide. His painting can be seen in several museums including the Roerich Department of the State Museum of Oriental Arts in Moscow; the Roerich Museum at the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow; the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia; a collection in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow; a collection in the Art Museum in Novosibirsk, Russia; a collection in the Art Museum in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; the Roerich Hall Estate in Kulu Valley, Himachal-Pradesh (India); in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works in The Latvian National Museum of Art.
English sources of information about Nicholas Roerich include: Nicholas & Helena Roerich: The Spiritual Journey of Two Great Artists & Peacemakers by Ruth Abrams Drayer (Quest Books); Jacqueline Decter's biography, Messenger of Beauty; Kenneth Archer's Nicholas Roerich: East and West; and scholarly articles by John McCannon, as well as his "Searching for Shambhala," in the magazine Russian Life.
Research in the last twenty years has discovered that Roerich attempted to found a new country on the basis of Buddhist and other spiritual principles by uniting regions of Russia, Tibet, Mongolia, and China. In her book The Leader, Helena Roerich, detailed how such a country could be governed with Roerich as the secular leader in cooperation with the spiritual leadership of the Panchen Lama.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Alexandre Andreyev. Soviet Russia and Tibet: The Debacle of Secret Diplomacy, 1918-1930s. Brill Academic Publishers, 2003. ISBN-13: 978-9004129528
- ^ Anita Stasulane. Theosophy and Culture: Nicholas Roerich. Editrice Pontificia Università Gregoriana. Rome, 2005.
- ^ http://www.roerich-urs.com/eng/protect.php The Ukrainian Roerichs Society
- ^ Nomination database
[edit] External links
- Nicholas Roerich Museum (New York)
- International Non-governmental Organisation "The International Centre of the Roerichs" (Russia)
- International Roerich Memorial Trust (India)
- Agni Yoga Society
- Estonian Roerich Society
- Roerich-movement on the Internet (in Russian)
- Reviving the Roerich Banner of Peace: Peace Through Culture!
