Nicholas Roerich
Madonna Laboris 1933 Tempera on canvas on cardboard 30x43.5 cm
Nicholas Roerich was born in St Petersburg in 1874. He was more than an artist – he was also a writer, humanist and philosopher. Scandinavian by descent, he received his training at the Academy of Art in St Petersburg. He went to Paris in 1900 but remained mostly in St Petersburg until 1916 when he went to Finland due to ill health. He lived in America between 1920-23. Despite his deep interest in India and its culture, he came to India only in 1923. He arrived in Darjeeling from where he left on an expedition to India, Siberia, Mongolia and Tibet for the next five years. He settled in the Kulu valley in the western Himalayas in 1928 where he lived with his family. He lived and worked there till his death in 1947. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1929. His work is a part of Museums and Art Galleries all over the world. courtesy of saffronart.com, roerich.ee