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These topical issues that have been put in the book “The Heart of Asia” were of special worry for its author – Nicholas Roerich, known also as Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh, a Russian painter, writer, traveler, archaeologist, theosophist, and philosopher. Born in a cold St. Petersburg, Nikolai Konstantinovich spent half of his life traveling in the East. Trained as a lawyer and graduated from the Faculty of Law, he devoted his thesis to the legal status of artists of Ancient Russia.
Having irrepressible commitment to the artistic subjects, young Roerich studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts, learned the basics of painting art in the studio of the famous artist Arkhip Kuindzhi, and soon became a member of the Russian Archaeological Society.
The main interests of the young painter were the study of Russian culture and history. Roerich was a dedicated activist for the archaeological excavations conducted in many cities of Russia, and together with the ancient Russian theme, oriental images and motifs come into Roerich’s activity.
Roerich left for his first Central Asian expedition in 1923. The philosophy of the East attracts his attention and is reflected in many works of the writer and painter. Nikolai Konstantinovich collects objects of Japanese art, writes essays about India and, in the end, and goes in search of Shabala.
Throughout his career, the eternal traveler Nicholas Roerich created more than 7000 paintings of various themes and series. And two of them are stored in Ashgabat. The State Museum of Fine Arts in Ashgabat became the permanent shelter for historical exhibits. Saved from the sad fate during the years of the Great Patriotic War, the paintings are carefully stored in the museum for many decades.
One of them is the painting “Arrows of the Sky – Spears of the Earth”, dated 1915, made by the artist in the tempera technique. A canvas of impressive dimensions displays the plot of two worlds – Earth and Sky. Lightning bolts of arrows rush along the perimeter of the clouds blazing with fiery paint, while the earth, yawning in purple, is dotted with spearheads of spears and military banners. The figure of the Duke-Leader in green robes is clearly seen against their background. He looks from a height at the ongoing massacre. And not so much the spears below but the fiery arrows of clouds gain victory. People themselves “sowed the wind” ... The drama of what is happening on the planet today makes us recall this visionary work of the painter more than once.
In the East, an arrow is a symbol of heavenly fire and the sun. And although this work by Nicholas Roerich is the least known, however, among the pre-war and war year works of 1914-1915, this picture is the most significant. It accompanied the opening of a large art exhibition of Nicholas and Svyatoslav Roerich held in Ashgabat in 2013.
Nicholas Roerich was called the “singer of the mountains”, having lived in India part of his life, the picturesque views that surrounded him at that time were reflected in his canvases – the Tibet, the Kullu, the Valley of People and Gods. Here in India, the Russian traveler has ended the earthly journey. In 2019, busts of Nicholas Roerich and his wife Helena were installed in the Kullu Valley.
Nicholas Roerich was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture. The so-called Roerich Pact, the most-idea of which is the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historic monuments, was signed into law.
Many fans of Nikolai Konstantinovich’s work dream of seeing with their own eyes the historical canvas stored in Turkmenistan. Ashgabat residents have this opportunity always. Art is called upon to unite peoples, rather to divide them that is the painting of the Russian artist stored on Turkmen soil is proving this.
