Vspominaya Roerich@150: A time to remember Nicholas Roerich and the Banner of Peace

An exhibition celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Nicholas Roerich is currently underway at Chitrakala Parishath

With Vspominaya Roerich@150, Bengaluru joins the world in honouring Nicholas Roerich who was not only a painter and writer, but also a philosopher and humanitarian. The word ‘Vspominaya,’ is Russian for ‘remembering’ and aptly sums up a glimpse of Roerich’s amazing legacy.

Roerich, who was born Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh, on October 8, 1874 in Russia’s St Petersburg, created over 7,000 paintings and authored 29 books. Put together by Vijayashree CS, curator at the Chitrakala Parishath Museum, Vspominaya Roerich @ 150 is a tribute to a man way ahead of his time.

According to Vijayashree, Chitrakala Parishath houses the largest collection of Roerich’s art in India with 36 of his pieces, surpassing even the Roerich Estate which possesses 32. “Across the world, a lot of museums are celebrating Roerich with special events, exhibitions or conferences. At Chitrakala Parishath, we have 36 of his works which are part of Roerich’s Himalayan Studies Series that were donated to us by his son Svetoslav Roerich, with 63 of his own works.”

“The exhibition has been titled ‘Vspominaya,’ as we wanted to remember, recollect and revisit Roerich and his relevance today.”

All 36 pieces by Roerich are currently on display and Vijayashree elaborates on their significance. “Roerich produced his Himalayan Studies Series following his travels and after he settled in India. He was drawn to the Eastern ideas of mysticism and to this end, he would take up long expeditions into the Himalayas, Tibet, Mongolia and Central Asian regions for a deeper understanding of their cultural, scientific and artistic facets.”

Apart from being an artist, Roerich also researched the medicinal value of herbs, plants and minerals found in the Himalayas. During these cultural expeditions, he would carry all his supplies in cardboard boxes, often cutting them open to sketch out his initial studies and impressions. Later, he would return to his studio and make larger canvases using them as a reference.

“Though these works were executed on packing material, they should be appreciated for their own right,” says Vijayashree, adding that despite their small dimensions of 18 inches by 12 inches, “he effectively captured the vastness of the mountain, its majesty and mighty nature; his works are quite spectacular because of this.”