Nicholas Roerich (1874 - 1947)

[Santa]

Through the image of the artist Izvara comprehended in childhood and adolescence image of Old Russia with many influences from different cultures. Significantly, it is in Izvara, in an old manor house for the first time I saw NK Roerich's childhood image of the sacred Himalayan peaks of Kanchenjunga in the picture. With India linked the name from the Hindu Ishvara - God, the Almighty, the family kept the tradition of the Indian rajah, who lived not far from Izvara in Yablonitsa, under Catherine II. Reflections on the roots of the Slavic culture leads to the assumption that the interaction of cultures, the influence of East Indian culture to the Russian. Later in the article "Indian way", he formulates the problem of knowledge of Indian culture as a cultural and spiritual need of Russian people.

At the end of life in India, the Himalayas, Nicholas Roerich wrote in a letter to the IE Grabar:

"Do not Have you heard about a curious circumstance? Ten miles from our former estate "Izvara" ... was just "Yablonitsa" - it has lived under Catherine the Hindu raja. The speaker told me that he saw the remains of Mogul'skii park. Late Tagore was very interested in it and even asked whether there are any local memories ... Sometimes looking away, and it is very close.

If you look closely, many Russian visited in India and Hindus in Russia ... Well, all there! "

In 1893, Roerich entered the law faculty of St. Petersburg University and the Academy of Fine Arts.

Izvara become a favorite place of the young artist, his studio:

"1896. Academy of Arts. Already formed Suite "Slavs." Conceived "Messenger. Genus arose in kind, "and" Elders "and" Walkabout "and" Build a City "opens the treasure ... Stasov Public Library. In the old hen house of Izvara converted shop. Collected wolf and lynx furs. Need to Slavs and weapons. At a roadside blacksmith blacksmith forges blackened sword, true, iron, a hair's breadth as we found in the mounds ... "

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The fact that it was born in Izvara thought about the historical fate of "the peoples of the vastness of Russian," was born a citizen of his country's position indicate primarily paintings. In Izvara written: "Yaroslavna's Lament," "Svyatopolk Accursed", "Pskov", "Pushkari", "Veche", etc. Thinks and embodied "Slavic Suite," "Evening bogatyrstva Kiev" (1895-1896) - about as haughty heroes, rebelled against the celestial forces - the Higher World, against God and turned to stone. "Messenger" (1897) - about the lurch differences between feuding Slavic tribes, "Elders" (1898), "Trek" (1899). These early works - clear evidence of deep thinking about the causes of defeat and adversity, which upset the Russian people many times, thinking about the future. Here's how he wrote about these paintings, the artist himself later in the article "The Great Russian people" (1940): "Messenger of the uprising drove a canoe for forty three years ago. Then the Elders - narodopravny advice. The next year was going to mount a campaign for his country. Finally, they built a city. And the construction of the great Russian people bow.

Been waiting for so and so in sight I saw. "Elders" were accompanied by legends. Ended it like this:
"The elders of land Novagoroda
Come together under a tree of spreading,
Raven croaks on oak does not.
Dawn engaged for forests.
Shine, gleam Red Sun,
And our Russian land wakes up. "

Absorbed with the air of this ancient land of the images of nature, a great past, full of faith in the great future as well as its people, the artist embodies them in their historical landscape.

"Knights woke up" is now being written. Dedicated to the great Russian people. Once composed an epic "How the heroes were transferred to Russia," but at the same time believed that they wake up in the predestined hour will come out of the mountains, the caves and will make the construction of national ... Great Russian people there is nothing scary. All Win: and ice and heat, and smooth, and a thunderstorm. And it will build to a miracle ... "(June 24, 1940).

With Izvara bound and another significant aspect of family tradition, was of great importance for the formation of the artist world.

"From our family chronicle recall two episodes of general importance. About our estate about 55 years ago, before the church was burned during Lent. Such a calamity threatened throughout the district to meet without the Temple and Holy Week, and the light of Christ Celebration. Not to leave the locals without this spiritual joy, my father came to the aid of widely: one donated from the estate of buildings with the surrounding land, and within six weeks of toil building was transformed into a temple. Beamed tower, ripe iconostasis, and on Palm Sunday was rising and the consecration of the cross ... "

The second episode refers to the time of Peter the Great: great-great-grandfather, NK Roerich has refused to destroy a suburban church during the war "in his deep religiosity."

"Obviously, on the family tradition and I had to - writes Roerich - often have trouble in the case of Health and antiquities hramostroeniya».