Nicholas Roerich
(1874 - 1947)
Himalayas
Praised as "the wizard of eastern landscapes" by the noted art scholar O C Gangoly, Nicholas Roerich was a writer, theosophist, and prolific artist from Russia, who made India his home. Roerich's contribution to Indian art was so great that he is the only artist of foreign origin whose works have been declared national art treasures. The present lot, titled Himalayas was painted during his final years when he resided in Naggar, a village in the...
Praised as "the wizard of eastern landscapes" by the noted art scholar O C Gangoly, Nicholas Roerich was a writer, theosophist, and prolific artist from Russia, who made India his home. Roerich's contribution to Indian art was so great that he is the only artist of foreign origin whose works have been declared national art treasures. The present lot, titled Himalayas was painted during his final years when he resided in Naggar, a village in the Kullu Valley of Himachal Pradesh, and captures the essence of his oeuvre. Roerich's paintings from the late 1930s through the early part of 1940s depict the glorious subtleties reflected in the myriad tones and hues of the Himalayan landscape. The present lot is dominated by a single, blue palette. Roerich masterfully captures the way the sun paints certain facets of the icy mountains in bright light, while enshrouding its neighbouring terrain in nuanced degrees of darkness. The inclusions of light pink and purple tones indicate a soft, twilight presence, suggesting that this particular moody scene is one of many visions the Himalayas has to off er. This expert execution of the interplay between light and shadow, and the faithful representation-without being completely realistic-of his beloved subject, earned Roerich the honoured title of the "Master of Mountains.""Where can one have such joy as when the sun is upon the Himalayas, when the blue is more intense than sapphires, when from the far distance, the glaciers glitter as incomparable gems!" - NICHOLAS ROERICH Roerich's association with India began in his childhood, with an old family painting of a majestic mountain that he admired. He later discovered that it was the famous Kangchenjunga in the Himalayan range, a mountain he would later trek to and be inspired to paint. Quoting from the Chinese book, Wei Tsang T'u-Shih, in his diary in 1924, he writes, "The luster of the mountain peaks is equal unto emerald. Verily the beauty and perfection of all objects make this place incomparable." (Altai-Himalaya: A Travel Diary, Part I India, New York: Nicholas Roerich Museum, online) Born Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich on 9 October 1874 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Roerich was raised in an upper middle-class family which interacted with infl uential people in Russia's vibrant art and cultural scene. He developed an interest in archaeology and prehistoric artefacts, and showed a propensity for drawing at a young age. He wished to pursue a career as an artist, but his father, a lawyer, did not consider it an appropriate profession. Eventually reaching a compromise, Roerich enrolled simultaneously at the Academy of Art, and St. Petersburg University to study law. Over the next few years, Roerich immersed himself in the music, arts and theatrical spaces of Russia. He served on the editorial board of the World of Art magazine, a publication founded by his contemporaries, and later was the secretary of the School of the Society for the Encouragement of Art. During this time, Roerich sought to revolutionise the system of art training by bringing all the various fields of art under one roof, and giving his faculty freedom to design their own curriculum. "The cross-fertilization of the arts that Roerich promoted was evidence of his inclination to harmonize, bring together, and find correspondences between apparent conflicts or opposites in all areas of life. This was a hallmark of his thinking, and one sees it demonstrated in all the disciplines he explored. He constantly sought to break down compartmentalization, and, indeed, even in his own art he defied categorization and created a universe uniquely personal." (Nicholas Roerich Museum, online) By the first two decades of the 20th century, Roerich had established himself as an eminent artist not just in Russia, but in parts of Europe as well. At this time, a combination of factors led the Roerichs, which included his wife Helena, and two sons George and Svetoslav, to leave the country. With Roerich's deteriorating health, and the dangerous political atmosphere in the years preceding the Russian Revolution of 1917 and World War I, the Roerichs set for India. Arriving in Bombay, (now Mumbai) in December 1923, the artist and his family set upon a tour of India's historic sites and cultural centres and met with several artists, writers, scholars and scientists including the Tagores and Bose Sen. Roerich kept meticulous records of all the sights, the people he met and his impressions of those encounters. Their journey culminated in Sikkim, and it was evident that Roerich was drawn to the spiritual and sociological elements of the culture in addition to the physical magnificence of the Himalayan mountains. The family continued on an expedition across Central Asia, covering Chinese Turkestan, Altai, Mongolia and Tibet for the next five years. Prompted by an anthropological interest in the "ancient origins of human civilisation," (Maria Zinger-Golovkina, "Painting. Late 19th to the early 20th century," Irina Volchenkova ed., Masterpieces of the State Tretyakov Gallery: Russian Art from the 12th to early 20th century, Moscow: Red Square Publishers, p. 114)-an intellectual and aesthetic curiosity that was evident even in his earlier paintings of Russian landscapes, folklore and mythology-Roerich's aim was to study the life and culture of these uncharted territories and its inhabitants. The Roerichs eventually returned to India in 1928 and settled in the Kullu Valley in the Himalayan foothills. Together they founded the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute, a centre for the study of the Western Himalayas and adjacent regions, which incorporated the learning from their expeditions. Roerich's Himalayan-inspired art was deeply informed by a sense of spiritual exploration. In many of the paintings from this time, "we can see philosophical concepts and ideas giving birth to visual images, and the splendor of Northern India providing the physical setting." (Nicholas Roerich Museum, online) His paintings capture not only the physical magnificence and ethereal atmosphere, but also evoke the spirit of the Himalayas, as seen in the present lot. They are a symbolic reflection of his own spiritual journey and the strength of character he acquired, facing the physical challenges of his arduous expeditions. Roerich is a highly revered figure internationally, and most of his paintings are in public institutions in the US, Russia and India. The present lot is a most significant, rare work to be offered at auction in India.
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Lot
49
of
81
EVENING SALE | NEW DELHI, LIVE
21 SEPTEMBER 2017
Estimate
Rs 1,20,00,000 - 1,80,00,000
$190,480 - 285,715
Winning Bid
Rs 4,80,00,000
$761,905
(Inclusive of Buyer's Premium)
ARTWORK DETAILS
Nicholas Roerich
Himalayas
Signed in Russian with artist's monogram (lower right); signed 'N. Roerich' and inscribed 'Himalayas/ 53' (on the reverse)
1940
Tempera on canvas
18.25 x 30.75 in (46.4 x 78 cm)
NON-EXPORTABLE NATIONAL ART TREASURE
PROVENANCE: Acquired directly from the artist, Indore Thence by descent Property of a Lady, India
Category: Painting
Style: Landscape
ARTWORK SIZE:
Height of Figure: 6'