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Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh[a] (Russian:Николай Константинович Рерих), better known asNicholas Roerich (/ˈrɛrɪk/; October 9, 1874 – December 13, 1947), was a Russian painter, writer,archaeologist,theosophist,philosopher, andpublic figure. In his youth he was influenced byRussian Symbolism, a movement in Russian society centered on the spiritual. He was interested inhypnosis and otherspiritual practices and his paintings are said to have hypnotic expression.[1][2]
Born inSaint Petersburg to a well-to-doBaltic German father and a Russian mother,[3] Roerich lived in various places until his death inNaggar, India.[4] Trained as an artist and lawyer, his main interests were literature, philosophy,archaeology, and especially art. Roerich was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture during times of war. He was nominated several times for theNobel Peace Prize.[5] The so-calledRoerich Pact for the protection ofcultural objects was signed into law by the United States and most other nations of thePan-American Union in April 1935.
Raised in late-19th-century St. Petersburg, Roerich enrolled simultaneously atSt. Petersburg University and theImperial Academy of Arts in 1893. He received the title of "artist" in 1897 and a degree in law the next year. He stayed in Florence in 1906,[6] and found early employment with theImperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, whose school he directed from this year to 1917. Despite early tensions with the group, he became a member ofSergei Diaghilev's "World of Art" society and was its president from 1910 to 1916.
Artistically, Roerich became known as his generation's most talented painter of Russia's ancient past, a topic that was compatible with his lifelong interest in archeology. He also succeeded as a stage designer by achieving his greatest fame as one of the designers for Diaghilev'sBallets Russes. His best-known designs were forAlexander Borodin'sPrince Igor (1909 and later productions),[7] and costumes and set forThe Rite of Spring (1913),[8][9] composed byIgor Stravinsky.
Along withMikhail Vrubel andMikhail Nesterov, Roerich is considered a major representative ofRussian Symbolism in art.[10] From an early period of his life, he was influenced by apocrypha and medieval sectarian writings such as the mysteriousDove Book.[11]
Another of Roerich's artistic subjects was architecture. His acclaimed publication "Architectural Studies" (1904–1905), consisting of dozens of paintings he made of fortresses, monasteries, churches, and other monuments during two long trips through Russia, inspired his decades-long career as an activist on behalf of artistic and architectural preservation. He also designed religious art for places of worship throughout Russia andUkraine, most notably theQueen of Heaven fresco for the Church of the Holy Spirit, which the patronessMaria Tenisheva built near herTalashkino estate, and the stained glass windows for theDatsan Gunzechoinei in 1913–1915. His designs for theTalashkino church were so radical that the Orthodox church refused to consecrate the building.[10]
During the first decade of the 1900s and in the early 1910s, Roerich, largely by the influence of his wife, Helena, developed an interest in eastern religions, as well as alternative belief systems such asTheosophy. Both Roerichs became avid readers of the Vedantist essays ofRamakrishna andVivekananda, the poetry ofRabindranath Tagore, and theBhagavad Gita.
The Roerichs' commitment to occult mysticism increased steadily. It was especially intense duringWorld War I and the 1917Russian Revolution to which the couple, like other many Russian intellectuals, accorded apocalyptic significance.[12] The influence of Theosophy,Vedanta,Buddhism, and other mystical topics can be detected not only in many of Roerich's paintings but also in the many short stories and poems that Roerich wrote before and after the 1917 revolutions, including theFlowers ofMorya cycle, which was begun in 1907 and completed in 1921.
After theFebruary Revolution of 1917 and the end of the czarist regime, Roerich, a political moderate who valued Russia's cultural heritage more than ideology and party politics, had an active part in artistic politics. WithMaxim Gorky andAleksandr Benois, he participated with the so-called "Gorky Commission" and its successor organization, the Arts Union (SDI). Both attempted to gain the attention of theProvisional Government andPetrograd Soviet on the need to form a coherent cultural policy and, most urgently, to protect art and architecture from destruction and vandalism.
Meanwhile, illness forced Roerich to leave the capital and reside inKarelia, the district bordering Finland. He had already quit the presidency of the World of Art society, and he now quit the directorship of the School of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. After the October Revolution and the acquisition of power of Lenin'sBolshevik Party, Roerich became increasingly discouraged about Russia's political future. During early 1918, he, Helena, and their two sonsGeorge andSvetoslav immigrated to Finland.
Two unresolved historical debates are associated with Roerich's departure. First, it is often claimed that Roerich was a major candidate to direct a people's commissariat of culture (the Soviet equivalent of a ministry of culture), which the Bolsheviks considered establishing in 1917–1918, but he refused to accept the job. In fact, Benois was the most likely choice to direct any such commissariat. It seems that Roerich was a preferred choice to manage its department of artistic education; the topic is rendered moot by the fact that the Soviets elected not to establish such a commissariat.
Second, when Roerich later wished to reconcile with the Soviet Union, he maintained that he had not left Soviet Russia deliberately, but that he and his family, living inKarelia, had been isolated from their homeland when theFinnish Civil War began. However, Roerich had an amply-documented extreme hostility to the Bolshevik regime, prompted not so much by a dislike of communism as by his revulsion atLenin's ruthlessness and his fear that Bolshevism would result in the destruction of Russia's artistic and architectural heritage. He illustratedLeonid Andreyev's anticommunist polemic "S.O.S." and had a widely-published pamphlet, "Violators of Art" (1918–1919). Roerich believed that "the triumph of Russian culture would come about through a new appreciation of ancient myth and legend."[13]
After some months inFinland andScandinavia, the Roerichs relocated to London, arriving in mid-1919. Engrossed with Theosophical mysticism, they now hadmillenarian expectations that a new age was imminent, and they wished to travel to India as soon as possible. They joined the English-Welsh chapter of the Theosophical Society. It was in London, in March 1920, that the Roerichs founded their own school of mysticism,Agni Yoga,[14] which they described as "the system of living ethics." While in London, Roerich also contributed scenic designs forLAHDA, a cooperative group of Russian theatrical artists led byTheodore Komisarjevsky.[15]
To earn passage to India, Roerich worked as a stage designer forThomas Beecham'sCovent Garden Theatre, but the enterprise ended unsuccessfully in 1920, and the artist never received full payment for his work. Among the notable people Roerich befriended while in England were the famed British BuddhistChristmas Humphreys, the philosopher-authorH. G. Wells, and the poet and Nobel laureateRabindranath Tagore (whose grand-nieceDevika Rani would later marry Roerich's sonSvetoslav).
A successful exhibition in London resulted in an invitation from a director at theArt Institute of Chicago, offering to arrange for Roerich's art to tour the United States. In the autumn of 1920, the Roerichs traveled to America by sea.
Car of Nicolas Roerich in his museum at Naggar
The Roerichs remained in the United States from October 1920 until May 1923. A large exhibition of Roerich's art, organized partly by the U.S. impresario Christian Brinton and partly by theChicago Art Institute, began in New York in December 1920 and toured the country, to San Francisco and back, in 1921 and early 1922. Roerich befriended acclaimed sopranoMary Garden of theChicago Opera and received a commission to design a 1922 production ofRimsky-Korsakov'sThe Snow Maiden for her. During the exhibition, the Roerichs spent significant amounts of time in Chicago, New Mexico, and California.
Politically, Roerich was at first anti-Bolshevik. He gave lectures and wrote articles toWhite Russian populations in which he criticized theSoviet Union. However, his aversion tocommunism, "the impertinent monster that lies to humanity," changed in America.
Roerich claimed that his spiritual masters, the "Mahatmas" in theHimalayas, were communicating telepathically with him through his wife, Helena, who was a mystic and a clairvoyant. The beings from anesoteric Buddhist community in India were said to have told Roerich that Russia was destined for a mission on Earth. That led him to formulate his "Great Plan," which envisaged the unification of millions ofAsian peoples through a religious movement using the Future Buddha, orMaitreya, into a "Second Union of the East." There, the King ofShambhala would, following the Maitreya prophecies, make his appearance to fight a great battle against all evil forces on Earth. Roerich understood that as "perfection towards Common Good." The new polity was to include southwesternAltai,Tuva,Buryatia,Outer andInner Mongolia,Xinjiang and Tibet, with its capital in "Zvenigorod," the "City of Tolling Bells," which was to be built at the foot ofMount Belukha, in Altai. According to Roerich, the same Mahatmas revealed to him in 1922 that he was an incarnation of theFifth Dalai Lama.[16]
Roerichs' collaboration with Bolshevik diplomats and aim to gather intelligence on the British, led several scholars to place Nicholas Roerich as a participant in the British-Russian colonialGreat Game.[17][18][19][20]
In 1923, Roerich, the "practical idealist," set out to the Himalayas with his wife and his son Yuri. Roerich initially settled in Darjeeling in the same house that the13th Dalai Lama had stayed during his exile in India. Roerich spent his time painting the Himalayas with visitors such asFrederick Marshman Bailey,Lady Emily Bulwer-Lytton, and members of the1924 British Everest Expedition, as well asSonam Wangfel Laden La,Kusho Doring, andTsarong Shape, influential Tibetans. According to British intelligence, lamas from the Moru monastery recognized Roerich as the incarnation of the Fifth Dalai Lama due to amole pattern on his right cheek. It was during his stay in the Himalayas that Roerich learned about the flight of the9th Panchen Lama, which he interpreted as the fulfillment of the Matreiya prophecies and the bringing about of the Age of Shambhala.[21]
Mother of the World (1924); most likely a depiction of theTheotokos orSophia
In 1924, the Roerichs returned to the West. On his way to America, Roerich stopped at the Soviet embassy in Berlin, where he told the localplenipotentiary about a Central Asian expedition he wanted to take. He asked for Soviet protection on his way, and shared his impressions of politics in India and Tibet. Roerich commented on the "occupation of Tibet by the British" by claiming that they "infiltrate in small parties... conduct extensive anti-Soviet propaganda" by talking about "anti-religious activity of the Bolsheviks." The plenipotentiary later pointed out to one of Roerich's old university classmates,Georgy Chicherin, that he had "absolutely pro-Soviet leanings, which looked somewhat Buddho-Communistic," and that his son, who spoke 28 Asian languages, helped him in gaining the favor with the Indians and the Tibetans.[22]
The Roerichs settled in New York City, which became the base of their many American operations. They founded several institutions during these years:Cor Ardens ("Flaming Heart") andCorona Mundi ("Crown of the World"), both of which were meant to unite artists around the globe in the cause of civic activism; the Master Institute of United Arts, an art school with a versatile curriculum, and the eventual home of the firstNicholas Roerich Museum; and an American Agni Yoga Society. They also joined various theosophical societies; their activities with these groups dominated their lives.
The Roerichs' Asian expedition attracted attention from the foreign services and intelligence agencies of the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. In fact, prior to this expedition, Roerich had solicited the help of the Soviet government and Bolshevik secret police to assist him in his expedition by promising in return to monitor British activities in the area, but he received only a lukewarm response fromMikhail Trilisser, the chief of the Soviet foreign intelligence.
The Bolsheviks assisted Roerich with logistics while he was traveling through Siberia and Mongolia. However, they did not commit themselves to his reckless project of the Sacred Union of the East, a spiritual utopia that boiled down to Roerich's ambitious attempts to stir the Buddhist masses of inner Asia to create a highly spiritual co-operative commonwealth under the patronage of Bolshevik Russia.
The official mission of his expedition, as Roerich put it, was to act as the embassy ofWestern Buddhism to Tibet. To the Western media, it was presented as an artistic and scientific enterprise.[23] Roerich reported seeing a metallic oval in the sky over the Tibet; decades later, UFO enthusiasts would claim the Roerich expedition witnessed a "flying saucer".[24][25]
Between the summer of 1927 and June 1928, the expedition was thought to have been lost, as communication with them had ceased. They had, in fact, been attacked in Tibet. Roerich wrote that only the "superiority of our firearms prevented bloodshed.... In spite of our having Tibet passports, the expedition was forcibly stopped by Tibetan authorities." They were detained by the government for five months and were forced to live in tents in sub-zero conditions and to subsist on meagre rations. Five men of the expedition died during this time. In March 1928 they were allowed to leave Tibet, and they trekked south to settle inIndia, where they founded a research center, the Himalayan Research Institute.
His concern for peace resulted in his creation of thePax Cultura, the "Red Cross" of art and culture. His work for this cause also resulted in the United States and the 20 other nations of thePan-American Union signing theRoerich Pact, an early international instrument protecting cultural property, on April 15, 1935 at the White House.
The expedition consisted of two parts. In 1934, they explored theGreater Khingan mountains and Bargan plateau in western Manchuria. In 1935, they explored parts of Inner Mongolia: theGobi Desert,Ordos Desert, andHelan Mountains. The expedition found almost 300 species ofxerophytes, collected herbs, conducted archeological studies, and found antique manuscripts of great scientific importance. Despite Roerich's peace activism, reports eventually reached Wallace that the party had been using American-supplied weapons to threaten locals in Mongolia and promising American support for an uprising.[29]
Roerich was in India during World War II, where he painted Russian epic heroic and saintly themes, includingAlexander Nevsky,The Fight of Mstislav and Rededia, andBoris and Gleb.[30]
In 1942, Roerich receivedJawaharlal Nehru and his daughter,Indira Gandhi, at his house inKullu.[31] Together they discussed the fate of the new world: "We spoke about Indian–Russian cultural association [...] it is time to think about useful and creative co-operation."[32]
Indira Gandhi would later recall several days spent together with Roerich's family: "That was a memorable visit to a surprising and gifted family where each member was a remarkable figure in himself, with a well-defined range of interests.... Roerich himself stays in my memory. He was a man with extensive knowledge and enormous experience, a man with a big heart, deeply influenced by all that he observed."
During the visit, "ideas and thoughts about closer co-operation between India and USSR were expressed. Now, after India wins independence, they have got its own real implementation[clarification needed]. And as you know, there are friendly and mutually-understanding relationships today between both our countries."[33]
Roerich died inKullu on December 13, 1947.[35] His wife, philosopherHelena Roerich, wrote about this day: “The day of cremation was exceptionally beautiful. Not a single breath of wind and all surrounding mountains were clad in fresh snowy attire.”[36]
Altai. Peaks and passes named in honor of the Roerich family.The minor planet4426 Roerich in Solar SystemNicholas Roerich Museum in Moscow, 2018; there is also aRoerich museum in New York CityMosaics of Church of the Intercession, Parkhomivka
In the 21st century, theNicholas Roerich Museum in New York City is a major institution for Roerich's artistic work. Numerous Roerich societies continue to promote his theosophical teachings worldwide. His paintings 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 theTretyakov Gallery in Moscow; a collection in the Art Museum inNovosibirsk, Russia; an important collection in theNational Gallery for Foreign Art inSofia,Bulgaria; a collection in the Art Museum inNizhny Novgorod Russia;National Museum of Serbia; the Roerich Hall Estate inNaggar,India; theSree Chitra Art Gallery,Thiruvananthapuram, India;[37] in various art museums in India; and a selection featuring several of his larger works inThe Latvian National Museum of Art. A memorial plaque marks the house in Lahaul valley where Roerich lived during summers from 1929 to 1932.[38]
Roerich's biography and his controversial expeditions to Tibet and Manchuria have been examined recently by a number of authors, including two Russians, Vladimir Rosov and Alexandre Andreyev, two Americans (Andrei Znamenski and John McCannon), and the German Ernst von Waldenfels.[39]
A series of his studies on the Himalayan Ranges-donated by the artist's son (36 works specifically) are even showcased in the Nicholas Roerich Gallery of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath Museum based in Bangalore, India. The hypnotic, immersive nature of his works truly absorbs the onlooker, leaving one with a sense of peace and tranquility as one moves with the series through the gallery.
In June 2013 duringRussian Art Week in London, Roerich'sMadonna Laboris sold at auction atBonhams shop for £7,881,250, including the buyer's premium, making it the most valuable painting ever sold at a Russian art auction.[44]
Art and archaeology // Art and art industry. SPb., 1898. No. 3; 1899. No. 4-5.
Some ancient Shelonsky fifths and Bezhetsky end. SPb., 31 pages, drawings of the author, 1899.
Excursion of the Archaeological Institute in 1899 in connection with the question of the Finnish burials of St. Petersburg province. SPb., 14 p., 1900.
Some ancient stains Derevsky and Bezhetsk. SPb., 30 p., 1903.
In the old days, St. Petersburg., 1904,18 p., drawings of the author.
Stone age on lake piros., SPb., ed. "Russian archaeological society", 1905.
Collected works. kN. 1. M.: publishing house of I. D. Sytin, p. 335, 1914.
Tales and parables. Pg.: Free art, 1916.
Violators of Art. London, 1919.
The Flowers Of Moria. . Berlin: Word, 128 p., Collection of poems. 1921.
Adamant. New York: Corona Mundi, 1922
Ways Of Blessing. New York, Paris, Riga, Harbin: Alatas, 1924
Altai - Himalayas. (Thoughts on a horse and in a tent) 1923–1926. Ulan Bator Khoto, 1927.
Heart of Asia. Southbury (St. Connecticut): Alatas, 1929.
Flame in Chalice. Series X, Book 1. Songs and Sagas Series. New York: Roerich Museum Press, 1930.
Shambhala. New York: F. A. Stokes Co., 1930
Realm of Light. Series IX, Book II. Sayings of Eternity Series. New York: Roerich Museum Press, 1931.
The Power Of Light. Southbury: Alatas, New York, 1931.
Women. Address on the occasion of the opening of the Association of women, Riga, ed. About Roerich, 1931, 15 p., 1 reproduction.
The Fiery Stronghold. Paris: World League Of Culture, 1932.
Banner of peace. Harbin, Alatyr, 1934.
Holy Watch. Harbin, Alatyr, 1934.
A gateway to the Future. Riga: Uguns, 1936.
Indestructible. Riga: Uguns, 1936.
Roerich Essays: One hundred essays. В 2 т. India, 1937.
^Nicholas Roerich: the Messenger of Zvenigorod (vol. 1: The Great Plan, vol. 2: The New Country) (2002–2004) [summary of the books in English at"Summary of Vladimir Rosovs books Nicholas Roerich. The Messenger of Zvenigorod. Website Living Ethics in the World". Archived fromthe original on November 10, 2013. RetrievedAugust 9, 2012.]; Alexandre Andreyev, Gimalaiski mif i ego tvotry [Himalayan Myth and its Makers] (St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg University Press, 2004) [in Russian]; Andrei Znamenski, Red Shambhala: Magic, Prophesy, and Geopolitics in the Heart of Asia (Quest Books, 2011); John McCannon, Nicholas Roerich: The Artist Who Would Be King (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2022)[1]; John McCannon, "Searching for Shambhala: The Mystical Art and Epic Journeys of Nikolai Roerich," Russian Life (January–February 2001); John McCannon, "By the Shores of White Waters: The Altai and Its Place in the Spiritual Geopolitics of Nicholas Roerich,” Sibirica: Journal of Siberian Studies (October 2002)[2]; Ernst von Waldenfels, Nicholas Roerich: Kunst, Macht und Okkultismus (Osburg, 2011)
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