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| S. Roerich in the upper reach
of the Kullu valley |
From 1931, living permanently in India, Svetoslav Roerich actively participated in its public and cultural life. He loved dearly that country which became his second Motherland. Svetoslav Roerich sang the unique beauty, diversity of cultural traditions, and subtleness of spiritual achievements of India in many of his wonderful canvases. That is why the honor to call S. Roerich its national pride does not only belong to Russia, but to India as well.
After 1947, S. Roerich conducted a lot of work related to signature of Roerich’s Pact by the Indian Government. “I am happy to note that the attitude of the Indian Government towards the aims we keep in mind is sympathetic, and it approves of Roerich’s Pact <…> I wish so much now that it be this country and at this time that could become an active fighter for the cultural principles contained in this Pact <…>”[4, p.325-326], S. Roerich wrote to one of the Indian leaders H. Kabiru. Thanks to S. Roerich’s efforts, in August 1948, India joined this document. During subsequent years, S. Roerich actively participated in the work on preservation and protection from destruction of the ancient Indian cultural monuments, organized committees, and urged the Governments of Indian States to take concrete steps in this direction.
In July of 1941, after Germany attacked the Soviet Union, Svetoslav Roerich sent a telegram to the USSR Ambassador in London I. Maisky about his decision to join the Red Army, but he got a refusal. Nevertheless, during the years of the second world war, Svetoslav Roerich transferred the funds from sales of paintings and exhibitions in favor of the USSR Red Cross.
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| S. Roerich. “Art and Life”. ICR publication, 2004 |
Svetoslav Roerich took active part in the work of the Institute of Himalayan Studies “Urusvati”. Being in charge of the Natural Department work, he carried out unique researches in various fields of natural science. The gift for spiritual synthesis which he possessed contributed to this. At the basis of S. Roerich’s natural scientific interests, lay his deep philosophic understanding of nature as a single whole, inalienably connected with the most important cosmic laws. The circle of his scientific interests is striking: ornithology, botany, mineralogy, Tibetan pharmacopoeia, chemistry and its alchemical sources, astrology, comparative religious studies and philosophy, art studies, culturology. Such versatile activities of Roerich-scientist testifies to his undoubtful belonging to the galaxy of major natural scientists.
All S. Roerich’s artistic and literary creative work, his scientific, pedagogical, and public activities are inseparably connected with the ideas of the Living Ethics. To say that Svetoslav Roerich was just its follower means to say very little. He was not only the follower of this philosophic system, but a deep thinker, who could develop its most important provisions and ideas.
Many of Svetoslav Roerich’s philosophic reflections are dedicated to the great role of art in creation of a more perfect, high-souled, and virtuous man. These thoughts not only got reflection on pages of his essays and diaries, but in the whole space of the painter’s creative artistic work.
"<...> the truth is in Beauty, one of the Living Ethics books says. Cosmos bases evolution on this formula. Cosmos directs the world to mastering Beauty”[5, 178]. Beauty, its essence, its role in the evolutionary development of mankind, and related to it energetic processes made the basis for S. Roerich’s philosophic views. He, as an artist and thinker, was attracted first of all by Beauty created by man. “Great creations are storages of enormous energies, which can activate and change millions of spectators, influence numberless generations through the message of beauty emanating from them. <…> Inexpressible aura of glory is irradiated by a great piece of art, Svetoslav Roerich said. – This is emanation of concealed vibrations fixed in the structure of a great creation. Magic of feelings, thoughts, and strong desires of great masters is captured in a piece of art, is irradiated on the spectator, and awakens in us similar emotional response, beside purely energetic and spiritual understanding of what is spoken about. We respond to more perfect combinations and call them beautiful. <…> Such is the extraordinary power of art, hidden strength, always present and active in a great creation”[6, p.61-64].
Svetoslav Roerich was convinced that Beauty cannot be created without a higher ideal. Destruction of this ideal – spiritual or aesthetic – results in disfigurement of life, in the loss of its evolutionary pivot.
All his life interested in the problems of a more perfect man upbringing, the painter took active part in the work of the children’s school in Bangalore (India) established in 1962 on the basis of Indian philosopher Aurobindo Ghosh’ ideas. Children from the age of three years old were accepted in that school. The school pedagogical concept was based on moral and ethical upbringing of children using especially elaborated methods. From the early age, the children were acquainted with the ideas of major philosophers, including Helena and Nicholas Roerichs, considerable attention was given to artistic education. Annual children’s drawing competitions contributed to this.
Svetoslav Roerich noted: “In our pedagogical work in Bangalore, we are trying to lead the new generation along the paths of ascent from the very beginning, give thoughts, ideas of big philosophers from the very early years. <…> Our education must be such, so that when leaving the school the person could be strong, could resist evil, imperfection”[7, p.89-90]. Starting from 1977, S. Roerich supported the school financially.
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| S. Roerich near his painting
“Kanchenjunga. Secret Hour”. Moscow. October 23, 1984. |
Svetoslav Roerich is well-known as the founder and Honorary President of the cultural and educational Center of Arts “Chitrakala Parishad” which was established in Bangalore in 1972 and became the local university department.
For outstanding achievements in the field of culture, and for his contribution to the cause of peace, S. Roerich got various countries’ governmental awards, including the highest civil order of India “Padma Bhushan”, the Soviet order “Friendship of Peoples”, order “Madar Cavalryman” established by the State Council of Bulgaria. Svetoslav Roerich was a winner of J. Neru International Award, Knight of the Bulgarian Order of Kirill and Mephody, Honorary Member of the USSR Academy of Arts, Honorary Doctor of the Velikotyrn University of Bulgaria, Academician of the Academy of Fine Arts of India. However, Svetoslav Roerich considered the award established by Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York the most outstanding award in his life, because the diploma attached to it was signed by Nicholas Roerich.
The first exhibition of S. Rorich’s paintings was opened in his mother country on May 11, 1960, in the A. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and a month later, the artist’s paintings were seen by visitors of the Leningrad Hermitage. Starting from the 1970-s, exhibitions of his paintings were regularly organized in the cities of the Soviet Union.
In 1989, in Moscow, on Svetoslav Roerich’s initiative, the Soviet Roerichs Foundation was established (from 1991 – the International Center of the Roerichs), the Honorary President of which Svetoslav Roerich would remain until today. In March 1990, executing his parents’ will, he passed over to the SRF the priceless legacy of his family – paintings, objects of fine and applied arts, archive, library, personal belongings. All this constituted the basis for the permanent exposition of the Nicholas Roerich Public Museum, the activities of which are based on the principles laid by Svetoslav Roerich.
S. Roerich passed away on January 30, 1993.
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