Video: Roerich's Pact: How a great artist saved art
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
April 15 is celebrated all over the world International Day of Culture, a holiday, the importance of which for the development of society is simply impossible to overestimate. This date appeared thanks to the activities of a Russian artist, philosopher and traveler. Nicholas Roerich … He devoted his life to caring for the preservation of cultural heritage, and in 1935, on his initiative, a pact was signed on the protection of works of art during hostilities. Today we remember the fate of this amazing Man!
The so-called Roerich Pact was concluded on the eve of World War II and became the only document that regulated the process of protecting artistic values during armed conflicts. According to the great philosopher, it is the cultural heritage that should unite peoples, spirituality contributes to the development and improvement of mankind. The pact was signed by representatives of 21 states in Washington, but, according to its provisions, other countries could join the treaty at any time. Nicholas Roerich had been working on the compilation of the document since 1928, and the colossal work was crowned with success.
To protect art objects, Nicholas Roerich proposed using a special symbol - the Banner of Peace. He portrayed him on the canvas Madonna Oriflamme. This is a white canvas, on which three amaranth circles are displayed, placed in a ring symbolizing Eternity (the circles, in turn, are symbols of the past, future and present of our civilization).
If we talk about the fate of Nicholas Roerich, then one should note his fantastic dedication to his life's work - the protection of art, philosophy and painting. Roerich learned the skill of drawing from Arkhip Kuindzhi; he learned philosophy while traveling across Asia. The Russian thinker set himself the goal of repeating the path of the Buddha and set off on a difficult expedition that ran through the mountains and endless desert. He managed to walk 25 thousand kilometers, and all this time the tireless artist found strength to work on paintings. For 4 years of travel, he formed a collection of more than 500 paintings, and also brought with him artifacts found along the way (minerals, rare herbs, oriental curiosities and ancient manuscripts).
Nicholas Roerich lived for many years in the Western Himalayas, for which he was often called the Russian friend of India. There he settled with his wife, Elena Shaposhnikova, who came from the family of the great commander Kutuzov. With the support of his wife, he opened an institute in the Himalayas; Elena also worked here for many years, holding the post of honorary president.
The Roerichs' philosophical and religious views contradicted the Soviet ideology, therefore, the path to their homeland after the revolution was closed for them. Waiting for an opportunity to return, they lived for many years in the Himalayas. The decision to return was made after the end of World War II. However, these intentions were not destined to be fulfilled, the artist passed away without waiting for an answer to the request for a visa. By the way, the Soviet authorities did not approve of his arrival.
Conflict creative intelligentsia and Soviet power - the theme, which is devoted to the photo cycle "Special period". The review includes rare photographs from 1917-1938.
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