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拍品專文
Apart from being one of Russia’s most well-known artists of the 20th century, Nicholas Roerich (also known as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh) is one of nine artists in India designated as ‘National Art Treasures’. Deeply influenced by Russian Symbolism, which emphasized the spiritual aspects of painting, Roerich’s mystical and meditative works, including his renowned series of Himalayan mountainscapes, have captivated viewers across the world for close to a century.
The artist was inspired by the unique geography and spiritual qualities of India's landscapes, particularly the Himalayan mountain ranges, from a young age. Born to a Baltic German father and a Russian mother, Roerich and his siblings spent their holidays at Isvara, their family estate outside St. Petersburg. Roughly translated from Sanskrit, Isvara means ‘Lord’ or ‘divine spirit’. The estate was named by its previous owner, Count Semyon Vorontsov, who was deeply influenced by his travels through India. Vorontsov also left a painting of Himalayan peak, Kanchenjunga, at Isvara, which captured Roerich’s imagination, and would later become a frequent and favorite subject of his paintings. It was also at Isvara that Roerich discovered and nurtured his affinity for the natural world and ancient history, exploring them through art and other hobbies like archeology.
In 1893, Roerich simultaneously enrolled in St. Petersburg Imperial University to study law and the Imperial Academy of the Arts, where he could hone his artistic talent. At the Academy, he developed his practice under the transformative mentorship of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuinji, focusing on landscapes as well as historical subjects. After graduating and having his work featured to great acclaim in exhibitions in Russia and abroad, Roerich was appointed director of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1906. In this role, he emphasized the importance of the accessibility of art, believing it was one of the keys to uniting humanity and progressing civilization. In addition to his administrative work, Roerich also became involved in the performing arts as a set designer for theatre, ballet, and operas.
The onset of World War I represented a watershed moment in Roerich’s life and practice. The artist and his wife Helena were deeply spiritual people, influenced by both western and eastern religions and philosophies. The couple was particularly inspired by the teachings of Theosophy, Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Agni Yoga, poems by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the writings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda and the Bhagavad Gita. Given these influences, Roerich turned away from expressing the ravages of war to create paintings with messages of peace and harmony, hoping to contribute to the end of the conflict that had begun to rage through Europe.
After falling ill with pneumonia in 1915, Roerich and his family moved to Sortavala, Finland, to care for his health and escape the War and Russian Revolution. Here, he began to paint the Scandinavian landscape, depicting its “towering pine trees, rolling green hills, and little steep-cliffed islands arising out of Lake Ladoga”, as seen in this gem-like painting from 1917 titled Blue Morning (J. Decter, The Life and Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich, Vermont, 1989, p. 78). From 1916 to 1921, Roerich also wrote The Flowers of Morya, a collection of sixty-four poems conveying his understanding of the journey to enlightenment. The landscape and its natural features were imagined as symbols of spirituality in his poetry, which manifested in his paintings from the period as well. Water, for example, as depicted in Blue Morning and other works of the time, “stands for purification and renewal, and rivers, which flow in a specific direction, suggest transition and movement toward a goal” (Ibid., 1989, p. 77).
Once Roerich’s health improved, he and his family started planning a long-awaited trip to India. Before getting to India, the family spent time in the United States in 1920, where Roerich continued to lecture, and exhibited his works, including the present lot, across major cities like New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. In 1923, Nicholas, Helena, and their sons George and Svetoslav finally embarked on their journey to India. After thoroughly exploring the region on expeditions through Central Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Siberia and Mongolia, which Roerich documented in his book Heart of Asia, the family settled in Darjeeling in 1929, where the artist was able to observe and paint his stunning mountain vistas.
Nicholas Roerich remained in India with his family until his death on 13 December 1947, a few months after India’s independence. A spiritual teacher and prolific artist, Roerich’s legacy lives on not only in his body of work, but in his dedicated service to education and the preservation of art and culture around the world.
We are grateful to Gvido Trepša, Director of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York for his assistance with cataloging this work.
The artist was inspired by the unique geography and spiritual qualities of India's landscapes, particularly the Himalayan mountain ranges, from a young age. Born to a Baltic German father and a Russian mother, Roerich and his siblings spent their holidays at Isvara, their family estate outside St. Petersburg. Roughly translated from Sanskrit, Isvara means ‘Lord’ or ‘divine spirit’. The estate was named by its previous owner, Count Semyon Vorontsov, who was deeply influenced by his travels through India. Vorontsov also left a painting of Himalayan peak, Kanchenjunga, at Isvara, which captured Roerich’s imagination, and would later become a frequent and favorite subject of his paintings. It was also at Isvara that Roerich discovered and nurtured his affinity for the natural world and ancient history, exploring them through art and other hobbies like archeology.
In 1893, Roerich simultaneously enrolled in St. Petersburg Imperial University to study law and the Imperial Academy of the Arts, where he could hone his artistic talent. At the Academy, he developed his practice under the transformative mentorship of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuinji, focusing on landscapes as well as historical subjects. After graduating and having his work featured to great acclaim in exhibitions in Russia and abroad, Roerich was appointed director of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1906. In this role, he emphasized the importance of the accessibility of art, believing it was one of the keys to uniting humanity and progressing civilization. In addition to his administrative work, Roerich also became involved in the performing arts as a set designer for theatre, ballet, and operas.
The onset of World War I represented a watershed moment in Roerich’s life and practice. The artist and his wife Helena were deeply spiritual people, influenced by both western and eastern religions and philosophies. The couple was particularly inspired by the teachings of Theosophy, Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Agni Yoga, poems by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the writings of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda and the Bhagavad Gita. Given these influences, Roerich turned away from expressing the ravages of war to create paintings with messages of peace and harmony, hoping to contribute to the end of the conflict that had begun to rage through Europe.
After falling ill with pneumonia in 1915, Roerich and his family moved to Sortavala, Finland, to care for his health and escape the War and Russian Revolution. Here, he began to paint the Scandinavian landscape, depicting its “towering pine trees, rolling green hills, and little steep-cliffed islands arising out of Lake Ladoga”, as seen in this gem-like painting from 1917 titled Blue Morning (J. Decter, The Life and Visionary Art of Nicholas Roerich, Vermont, 1989, p. 78). From 1916 to 1921, Roerich also wrote The Flowers of Morya, a collection of sixty-four poems conveying his understanding of the journey to enlightenment. The landscape and its natural features were imagined as symbols of spirituality in his poetry, which manifested in his paintings from the period as well. Water, for example, as depicted in Blue Morning and other works of the time, “stands for purification and renewal, and rivers, which flow in a specific direction, suggest transition and movement toward a goal” (Ibid., 1989, p. 77).
Once Roerich’s health improved, he and his family started planning a long-awaited trip to India. Before getting to India, the family spent time in the United States in 1920, where Roerich continued to lecture, and exhibited his works, including the present lot, across major cities like New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. In 1923, Nicholas, Helena, and their sons George and Svetoslav finally embarked on their journey to India. After thoroughly exploring the region on expeditions through Central Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, Siberia and Mongolia, which Roerich documented in his book Heart of Asia, the family settled in Darjeeling in 1929, where the artist was able to observe and paint his stunning mountain vistas.
Nicholas Roerich remained in India with his family until his death on 13 December 1947, a few months after India’s independence. A spiritual teacher and prolific artist, Roerich’s legacy lives on not only in his body of work, but in his dedicated service to education and the preservation of art and culture around the world.
We are grateful to Gvido Trepša, Director of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York for his assistance with cataloging this work.