In today's post, I'll deal with some of his paintings, ignoring the rest as best I can. That's because his philosophical/spiritual beliefs are not on my conceptual radar.
He toured central Asia 1925-29, getting as far as Tibet, which later became a prime subject of his paintings. He spent time in India during World War 2, and later died there.
Roerich's style was predominately simplified-representational, his later Himalayan-based scenes reminding me of the arctic paintings of Rockwell Kent. Earlier work was less so, in part because his style was evolving, as it usually is for painters. Many of his works were in tempera, rather than oil.
Painted about four years after completing his art training (and earning a degree in law). Shown are Swedes invading what is now Russia.
1930s American-style solidities, but painted 20 years before. If you look closely, some of the cloud forms are of humans. I think that detracts a bit from an otherwise interesting work.
It seems he was trying out a different style here.
Heavy, simple, solid subject matter with a dash of symbolism added.
This has more than a whiff of Russian icons, but the subject called for that.
Very symbolic, very 1932.
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Most of the image has simple shapes. A few figures appear in the foreground to express the path idea.
The bcakground reminds me of Caspar David Friedrich's 1824 Eismeer.
The mountains have a strong Rockwell Kent feeling. The structures offer a nice counterpoint.
No date on this, but it's nice to see no snow and ice for once. (Many of Roerich's paintings found via Internet image searches are of icy Himalayan peaks.)
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