“Call of the Himalayas” exhibition by Maria Ivanova at the Roerich Estate in Naggar
On 5 October, Helena Roerich's Memorial Day, the exhibition 'Call of the Himalayas' by Russian cosmist artist Maria Ivanova opened in the exhibition hall of the International Roerich Memorial Trust.
The exhibition opening was part of a series of events marking the beginning of the traditional October celebrations at the estate, this year dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Nicholas Roerich's birth. In addition to the guest of honour, Mrs Mahima Rana, Chief District Engineer and a well-known representative of the local cultural community, and the Russian and Indian Curators Larisa Surgina and Suresh Kumar, the opening was attended by volunteers from the International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow), artists, Indian and Russian guests, students from the Helena Roerich Art Academy for Children, and schoolchildren from various parts of the Kullu Valley.
Around 40 of the artist's works were on display at the exhibition, including series such as 'Unity of Cosmos', 'Energy of Music', 'Distant Worlds', 'Great Himalayas', 'Temple of Spirit' and several works from the new series 'Energies' and 'Cosmic Landscapes'. There were also several paintings from the 'Transparency' series by Yulia Ivanova, the artist's mother, which complemented Maria's own work perfectly.
Maria Ivanova was born and lived in Moscow all her life. She graduated from the Surikov Moscow State Academic Art Institute of the Russian Academy of Arts. Her works are in private collections in Russia and abroad. The artist is a laureate of Russian and international competitions, a member of the Professional Union of Artists of Russia, a member of the Russian Space Society, a member of the Eurasian Art Union. Maria works in the technique of oil and acrylic painting. It is significant that on 5 October two exhibitions were opened: one in India, in Naggar, at the Roerichs' estate, and the second in Russia, in Dagestan, within the framework of the artist's creative project 'Energy of Music. Synthesis of Arts'.
Maria Ivanova's paintings immediately captivate the viewer with their purity, depth and brightness of colour. It is not by chance that the artist herself admits that it was the works of Nicholas Roerich that inspired her, both in terms of colour palette and inner content. It was Roerich who introduced mountain landscapes into her art. The artist notes that she is very grateful to her mother, who once took her to the Nicholas Roerich Museum of the International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow. Her acquaintance with Roerich's paintings was a new milestone in her creative journey.
The title of this exhibition - 'The Call of the Himalayas' - speaks for itself. Maria began painting the Himalayas long before she first encountered them, having felt their call on the canvases of Nicholas Roerich. Much later, she was able to see the majestic mountain faces with her own eyes - and they made an indelible impression on the artist. The majesty, beauty, timelessness, sacredness of the mountain peaks, their call to infinity, is what the artist conveys in her works.
However, the Himalayan landscapes, painted in particularly vibrant 'cosmic' colours - the colours of galaxies, nebulae and star systems - are not the only works presented in the exhibition. The call of the Himalayas draws those invited not only to the geographical space of the highest mountain peaks, but also to the endless spaces above them, to the vastness of the visible and invisible cosmos, the outer and inner cosmos - the eternal quest of the human soul. The ideas of cosmism are particularly important to the artist: the unity of the microcosm and the macrocosm, of man and the universe, the understanding of man's role in the infinite space of the cosmos, the ability of creative thought to overcome unlimited distances without hindrance. The artist's creativity reflects her soul-searching. Her paintings depict not only Himalayan peaks, planets and entire star systems, but also primordial and life-giving energies. Through her picturesque images, the artist strives to convey the salutary message of beauty and harmony to people.
