But Roerich - unusual approach. His realism is expressed in the fact that he wants to hear and see in nature such aesthetic sounds and colors, such a truth of life that only he has known. Namely, Roerich, in the pulsating life of our planet, heard those life-affirming, evolutionary cosmic tones that only a highly cultured, musical spirit can perceive.
Our lawyer came over and asked him to re-read the search warrant and order. We could somehow imagine that the inspectors were interested in these same periods and donations from Mr. However, you are also trying to take advantage of other pictures. They were illegally acquired. What are the reasons? The case of Boris Bulochnik is a separate issue.
Our legal representatives and lawyers were witnesses, and we, from my point of view, looked at this whole situation as best we could. And the second round of attacks continued until 5 am. The staff was locked out until 5 am. No one was interested in whether they were fed or if they were feeling well. Maybe they spent the night on chairs. However, the car came with pizza, sandwiches and water for the inspectors. There is no doubt that this is outrageous. Why did all this happen? There is a lot of information on our websites.
Painting by Nicholas Roerich “Overseas Guests”
N. Roerich’s painting “Overseas Guests” was painted in 1901. Two years earlier, the artist made a journey through the great waterway to Novgorod"from the Varangians to the Greeks".
This ancient one trade route existed approximately 1000 years ago and passed along the main roads of that time through the Dvina and Dnieper rivers, connecting the Varangian Sea (Baltic) with the Russian Sea (Black). The route passed through our Slavic lands, which were called White Russia; on this way, foreigners met such ancient Russian cities as Veliky Novgorod and Kyiv. This most important trade branch was mastered by the Scandinavian Vikings (Vikings), whose goal was to get to Constantinople - the capital of Byzantium, the largest world shopping mall. In the East Slavic lands, the Vikings were called Varangians (Varangians). The Varangians were the best traders and warriors in Europe at that time. We still remember the Varangians when we study archeology, writing, and folklore.
The journey amazed the artist.
He imagined how ships had sailed along this route many years ago. Slavic land The Varangians, like the Novgorodians, went on campaigns, and how the plows of the Novgorod merchant Sadko cut through the water boat.
Then the artist had the idea to paint a picture about guests from overseas who sailed to the Russians for peace.
Before us is a painting by the artist N.K. Roerich “Overseas Guests”. The painter's work takes us into the depths of time.
In the painting, Roerich depicted overseas guests sailing to Russian soil.
Painted boats walk in a long row along the blue surface of the river. The bright colors of the ships are burning in the sun. The wind is blowing scarlet sails. The sides are decorated with multi-colored shields. The patterned heads of dragons look forward proudly. The Varangians are sailing in the boats. They transport goods to foreign countries.
Strong boats easily cut through unfamiliar waters. Guests peer carefully at foreign shores. The artist clearly described the smallest details of the decoration of foreign ships, from the shields on the stern to the patterned carvings that crown the dragon's head. Rocks at the bottom are visible through the clear water.
It's a warm spring day. Pure blue skies. The sun is shining joyfully and welcomingly. The dark blue river reflects red, yellow, green stripes and circles of overseas ship patterns. Snow-white gulls descended onto the waves and circled over the water.
International Center Roerich and his non-governmental museum have been conducting extensive research for more than 25 years cultural activities aimed at promoting cultural heritage Roerich. Our leader Lyudmila Shaposhnikova, who was confidant Svyatoslav Roerich, general director The museum, which practically created all this beauty, restored the estate, was repeatedly awarded by the state for its selfless activities. There are documents that show the condition of the building at the time it was transferred to us.
It was completely destroyed. Previously, we had normal commercial relations with all ministers of culture. There were some disagreements on certain issues, but we resolved the issues in a civilized manner that should normally be accepted. And there has never been such arbitrariness as that which began with the appointment of Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and First Deputy Minister Aristarkhov. There are no legal grounds for the seizure of Roerich's property; for example, an application may be submitted.
Everything is calm in the foreign side. The water doesn't worry. Only ripples from ships run across it. The water is so blue, as if the blue of heaven was mixed with it. A flock of seagulls sat peacefully on the surface of the water. But strange alien ships scared the birds away. And now they are screaming around the boat, wondering who was carried by the tailwind.
And not a single person is visible on the shore. A Slavic settlement can be seen in the distance. But they are not worried about the appearance of overseas guests. Militant Slavic tribes accustomed to forcefully defending their rightness and independence. That is why guests sail to the Slavic shores, to make peace, to end hostility.
If the Ministry of Culture believes that we are illegally maintaining property. However, no one filed such an action. How can you apply? How will the Ministry of Culture demonstrate its right to inherit property that was donated by its owner Svetoslav Roerich? However, they did not do this because the prosecutors were smart enough not to do this. What did the Ministry of Culture do then? He began to discredit the activities of our organization.
Our Prime Minister has repeatedly said "Stop demonizing business!" and our organization is also a non-governmental organization. You have no idea how many letters we sent to the Prime Minister. Not only me, but also the president of our organization, Yuri Temirkanov. He wrote letters, but it came to nothing. In addition, the Ministry of Culture tried to make everyone think that we are an extremist organization.
There are green hills and fields all around. In the distance, on one of the hills, hail walls are visible. The Russian land is beautiful and rich!
The picture amazes the viewer with the brightness of the colors, a kind of bright purity. How can you fight among this blue splendor, stretching far, far away, to the very horizon!
In the painting by N.K. Roerich, deep antiquity comes to life. The artist's work reveals history Ancient Rus', which every Russian person should know and respect. The picture evokes joyful, bright feelings.
At the request of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Justice conducted an inspection to determine that we were an extremist organization. There was a corresponding document; we were not recognized as an extremist organization, but there were some technical errors that we have already corrected. Then the Ministry of Culture began to accuse us of extremism sending complaints and slander to the prosecutor's office.
Aristarkhov, there were illegal Ukrainian foreigners. There was an inspection, everything was controlled, and we also have one of best systems fire extinguishing in Moscow museums. Aristarkhov also sent letters to the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Dear Media, We have been facing this terrible situation for 4 years. Endless checks, legal proceedings since the death of Lyudmila Shaposhnikova and Evgeny Primakov, who was our old friend and member of our Board of Directors.
There are artists whose lives bear the stamp of their unusual nature, original and original attitude to the world. Even short biography Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich resembles not just a fascinating story, but an entire novel. Soviet art critic I. Petrov notes that he was “a wonderful painter, a tireless traveler, a passionate researcher, philosopher and poet. He lived in France and Switzerland, Belgium and Holland, England and Germany, Finland and the USA, China and Japan; traveled to Ceylon, Philippines and Hong Kong, recent years lived in India."
Anatoly Karpov. During his life, he began negotiations to bring the legacy of Russia, by then the Soviet Union. Svyatoslav Nikolaevich met with Gorbachev. At that time Gorbachev was president Soviet Union, and so it was agreed that the inheritance would return to the Soviet Union, as it should be. Svyatoslav Roerich, meeting with Gorbachev, called for a meeting with the leadership of the Soviet Peace Fund. And when we met, he said that he would like it to be a public museum and not a state museum when it came back, and that he would like to have not only political leadership as a guarantor, but also one of the largest public organizations.
Not only creativity, but also herself bright personality N. Roerich attracted people to him, and even during his lifetime his fame became almost legendary. Roerich's paintings, of which there are more than 5,000, can be found in leading museums and art collections around the world. In Russia, perhaps, there is no museum or gallery that does not possess several of his works. Some museums have entire rooms dedicated exclusively to his paintings, and a 29-story building was erected in his honor in New York City in 1929. It seems that for the first time in history, an entire museum was built for the masterpieces of one artist during his lifetime. One of the features of N. Roerich’s art, which determined all directions of his creative searches, there was a desire to embody in painting images of the distant, heroic past, to penetrate the meaning of ancient legends, to convey all the poetic charm folk life.
Thus, the Soviet Peace Fund had significant financial resources. So, an agreement was reached, which was approved by the Council of the Soviet Peace Fund, and then by the conference. And all the first actions, including the transfer of heritage, were carried out at the expense of the Soviet Peace Fund, and later the International Association of Peace Funds. And you know that you expected and trusted social forces. Of course, there were some problems. We didn't have this building, we got it in a very poor condition. You can see there, we have photographs and you can see the original ownership of the Lopukhins and in what condition it is now.
Kievan Rus, Viking raids, legends Ancient East attracted Roerich at the very beginning of his creative activity. Speaking in 1898-1899 at the St. Petersburg Archaeological Institute with a series of lectures " Artistic technique in application to archaeology,” he said: “In order for a historical picture to make an impression, it is necessary that it transports the viewer to a bygone era. To do this, the artist cannot invent and fantasize, hoping that the audience is unprepared, but in fact needs to study ancient life, as soon as possible, to be imbued with it, to be soaked through and through.”
This central part, part of the museum, and this is the administrative building. This is, of course, prestige. There is nothing better in the world. They are connected not only with the order that exists, but also with the fact that the police and judiciary Russia rarely participates in the work of museums. Secondly, they acted here as if the museum was under criminal investigation. How can you classify this? We can show somewhere that the Baker took out some kind of loan that he didn't pay. But have you purchased photos using this loan or perhaps had other personal finances?
The best example Such penetration into the past were the historical paintings of the great V. Surikov. But he devoted his work to the events of the Muscovite kingdom of the 16th-17th centuries. And that historical layer that fascinated N. Roerich went back to the times Kievan Rus and even further - right up to the Stone Age. History becomes for the artist a living part of national life; the source of the national principle in Russian art is for him the Russian people, who created amazingly beautiful poetic tales, songs, and artistic products. “When you look at ancient paintings, old tiles or ornaments, you think: “What beautiful life was! Which strong people lived it! How vital and close art was to everyone..." exclaimed N. Roerich.
That is, it will be almost impossible to prove in research. It became the property not of the Baker, who is now under criminal prosecution, it was the property public organization. Then the inspection authorities discovered some philatelic documents that were stolen from state archives. And the investigation, for lack of a better answer, was addressed to the Philatelic Society of the Soviet Union, compiling a list of the most famous collectors in Moscow. The prosecutor of the Kyiv region and the list of the philatelic society gave permission for a search and seizure, which included Moscow philatelic collectors.
IN Russian art N. Roerich entered immediately as a mature master. He graduated from the Academy of Arts with his diploma painting “The Messenger. Family to Family Revolted,” which was warmly welcomed by I. Repin and V. Surikov and purchased from the exhibition by P.M. Tretyakov. After "The Messenger", on the advice of I. Repin, N. Roerich leaves for Paris to the studio of the famous historical painter F. Corman.
There were important collectors, they were visited, if you can call them that, by representatives of the inspection authorities and the seizure, no one knows everything that they took. Rozov simply had a huge chest with a philatelic collection in the center work room. They came and asked: “Where do you keep the seals?” He replied: “Here.”
That's all, they took the chest, also without any equipment. Well, how do you describe the brands? Rozov filed a complaint, and after lunch they returned the stamps with an apology. We know who is responsible for this ingenious operation, so some stamps were sold in different collections, so we know who was in it. It reminds me of this story because they came and didn't know what to take. Stetsenko, they should have been captured. What they captured today cannot be controlled. There are no investigations, no police, no museum representatives.
The French artist immediately saw that he was already an established master, and treated his bright, original talent with care. When N. Roerich left France, his soul was already full of images of Ancient Rus'. Soon he creates a series of paintings called "The Beginning of Rus'. Slavs."
“Overseas Guests” is one of the paintings in this cycle, painted in 1901. She immediately received universal recognition, and the artist made several repetitions of her. The painting also has its own literary version in a short story written by N. Roerich in 1900. With apt, artistically precise words, he describes the floating boats, the bows of which are completed with painted carved dragons. On their sides, colorful shields sparkling in the sun, sails filled with wind instill fear in their enemies. Boats sail along the Neva and Volkhov, the Dnieper and Lake Ilmen - to Constantinople itself. The Varangians go to bargain or to serve...
And we still don't know what will happen. Wait while employees work with it. And, is the Museum of Oriental Art a Russian research department or what? If the paintings were taken as evidence, then they should be in the study, not in the museum. That is, they will probably try, at least in part, to bring unique works Roerich to the museum and take additional steps to evict the organization from these premises. The decision to create a state museum, as they called it, the Museum of the Roerich Family, was made without the participation, without the consent of the Roerich Center and the management of the museum.
Also in the picture, painted Varangian boats slowly move towards the viewer across the blue surface of the serene sea. The patterned heads of griffins-dragons rise proudly, the steep sides of ships are decorated with multi-colored shields, scarlet sails glow in the background sky blue. The Vikings crowded at the stern peer with curiosity into the distances opening before them.
Moscow
I am also concerned that the will of Roerich, the organization created by Roerich in Russia, is being questioned, and therefore the legal basis of this entire collection is no longer effective. Unfortunately, Roerich does not have legionnaires with Russian side, there are Indian legionnaires in India. And the Roerich family in India can ask and ask: “Since they renounced Roerich’s will, then, kindly, return everything to us in Russia.” Stop the destruction of the International Roerich Center.
A number of recent events related to the International Roerich Center and its N. Roerich Museum should be the subject of public attention and serious concern. Together with members of the Research Committee Russian Federation and the Assault Police Squad in total about 50 people took part in the criminal investigation process, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and State Museum oriental art. The latter indicated which paintings needed to be removed from the walls and removed from the museum.
The picture also attracts with its colorful festivity. Open, intense tones create a feeling of joyful chime bright colors. Red and blue, blue and golden-brown colors in the decoration of ships, in nature and in people’s clothing especially resonate next to the whiteness of light clouds and the wings of seagulls flying over the sea. The picturesqueness of this picture opens up to the viewer (as well as to the Varangians) a new, hitherto unknown country. And now we already recognize the patterns of folk ornaments and the festivity of ancient Russian art. In the memory of the audience, favorite tales from childhood about people of bygone times, about a glorious life covered in so many poetic legends, come to life. Beyond the boundaries of centuries, where true story merges with myth, and the fabulous turns into reality, these are the lives of these guests who came from a foreign country to see Great Rus'.
For the current direction of activity of the Ministry of Culture, this criminal case became the reason for the liquidation of the N. Roerich Museum, which is currently the largest non-governmental museum in Russia and was created by the International Roerich Center. It's about about knocking the Museum out of the buildings it occupies and appropriating the Museum’s collection. These agreements entailed the creation of a non-governmental museum of N. in Moscow, on the Lopudzhin estate. The legacy of the Roerich family includes hundreds of paintings, unique archive, memorabilia, library.
Not only the boats and the helmeted Varangians sitting in them are historical, but also the landscape of nature itself. The wavy lines of green hills with rounded boulders remaining here and there are the result of the movement of glaciers, which smoothed and softened the sharp reliefs of the northern landscape. At the top of one hill three mounds are visible - these are the burial places of leaders. On the other is a Slavic town fortified with tyne and towers, from where, perhaps, the inhabitants look at the flotilla not only with anxiety and excitement, but also with curiosity.
Svyatoslav Roerich became the condition for returning this heritage to Russia, that its future owner was the International Roerich Center, created by own initiative and was in no way government agency. The President of the Board of Patronage of the Non-Governmental Museum of N. Roerich, Anatoly Karpov, and the former Minister of Culture, Alexander Avdeev, have repeatedly noted that this was precisely the will of Svyatoslav Roerich. Svyatoslav Roerich called him a confidant and executor of Lyudmila Shaposhnikova.
Svyatoslav Roerich gave special meaning public character Museum, because he believed that non-governmental forms of culture in Russia are the main factor in the revival and development of the country. According to Svyatoslav Roerich, the Museum was supposed to be the custodian of Roerich's artistic heritage, the representative and popularizer of philosophical and ethical research, as well as scientific work all members of this family.
N. Roerich’s skill with which he painted multi-colored plows illuminated by sunset rays and burning in the sun is amazing. The dense blue of the waves, cut by ships loaded with goods; green hills and walls of hail rising in the distance; pure blue skies, joyful radiance morning sun- everything makes you believe in a wonderful fairy tale.
The picture is full of movement - sometimes slow and heavy in the smooth movement of the boats, sometimes noisy and light in the hubbub of the seagulls and the swing of the oars. The motionless, as if sleeping hills only enhance the impression of the solemn arrival of the guests.
But, peering at the picture, we will not find in it brightly and vividly painted faces, individual characters, or unique individuals. The faces of the Vikings are barely visible, and the inhabitants of Russian cities are not visible at all. Russian artist S. Makovsky noted: “People’s faces on Roerich’s canvases are almost invisible. They are faceless ghosts of centuries. Like trees and animals, like quiet stones of dead villages, like monsters of folk antiquity, they are fused with the elements of life in the mists of the past. They are without a name... They do not exist separately and as if they had never existed: as if before, long ago, in obvious life, they lived with a common thought and a common feeling, together with the trees, stones and monsters of antiquity.
On these canvases, shimmering with the dark luxury of ancient mosaics or bathed in pale waves of light, a person sometimes only appears... But half-visible, invisible - he is everywhere.”
And indeed, the image created in the painting “Overseas Guests” is not abstract. The sun shines uniquely in the waves and sails. The elegant Varangian ships are distinctive; the green coastal hills, houses and walls of a distant city also have their own “face”. In its silent buildings, in the sleepy slowness of the valleys and mountains, one can feel the dormant strength of the country.
The artist takes the viewer back to the depths of centuries, and he becomes an eyewitness to the vibrant pagan life of Ancient Rus'. And what stands before him is not individual heroes, not an entertaining historical episode, but, as it were, pages of chronicles read anew
