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A Colhction o f ~ a c r e & ~ a j i c k . C o m4 he Eso ter i c ~ ibraryA NOTE ON THE PAINT INGS OF N.K. R O E H I C H

E l e m i r e Z o l l a Q

M en t io n was cursor i l y made i n Josce lyn Godwin 's essay (Sa in t -Yv esd l A l v e y d r e a n d t h e A q a r t h i a n C o n n e c ti o n , p a r t 2, i n t h e A u t u m n is su e) o f t h eR oe r i ch fam i l y , espec ia l ly o f N.K. Roer i ch , t he pa in te r . H i s t each ings can beg a r n e re d i n a b oo k w h i c h ca me o u t i n 1 9 82 w i t h S am u el W e i se r i n Ne w Y o r k :f a l k does no t Cook R i ce . A Comm enta ry on the Teach ing o f A gn i Yoga, b yG u ru R.H.H. co m pi le d an d e di te d by his disciple. I n i t t h e c l a i m i s p u t f o r t ht h a t R o e r i c h a n d h i s w i f e w e r e the teache rs o f Ag n i Yoga fo r our age. Th eid iom o f t he w r i t i n g i s t ha t o f t he Theosoph ica l Soc ie t y. The message th a tcomes th rough w i l l ha rd l y appea l t o anyone who does n o t sha re th a t pecu l i a rtas te and jargon; b u t the im por tanc e o f N.K. Roer i ch canno t escape aneso te r i c i s t w ho chooses to f ocus h i s w o rk as a pa in te r , wh i ch I b e l i e v e t o b ec r u c i a l t o t h e g e n e r a l is su e o f a p o ss ib le m e t a p h y s ic a l p a t h f o r t h e a r t i s t i nour times. It i s a nn ou nc ed t h a t n e x t y e a r t h e A u r o r a p u b l is h i n g h o u se i nL e n i n g r a d w i l l b r i n g o u t a h u ge tw o -v o lu m e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f R o e r i c h ' spa in t ings , and th i s shou ld be an eve n t o f t he u tmo s t impor tance , f o r t hereasons wh ich I ha l l seek t o b r i e f l y ou t li ne .W hat s t r i k es one f i r s t in N.K. Ro er ic h 's pa in t ings i s an aus te re , asce t ic ,and y e t heady i n tens i t y . As one takes them s low ly i n, t h e i r t ech n i c a lsub t l e t i es s t a r t un fo ld i ng . The dazz l i ng gamut o f co lou rs appears t o bes t r i c t l y k e y e d t o d eep v i o l e t - no t t he f l ower ' s ve l ve t y plush, b u t t he s leekg la ze o f amethys ts . One no t i ce s a lso th a t th e superb , unassumingd raugh tsmansh ip i s p l ay in g s t range games w i t h us. We a re made to f e e l t h a teach s tone i s p ressed down upon the e ar th by i t s unwie ldy , harsh, c ru sh ingmass, and y e t a t t he same t ime o u t l i nes a re t h readed o u t so nea t l y , sof ine ly , t h a t th e most tow er in g shapes seem t o be we igh t less , i n suspension, asi f p a r t o f a s ce na rio . E v e n t u a l l y w e b e c o m e a w a r e o f t h e c o m p l e x it ie s o f t h el igh t ing .A l l k i nds o f i l l um ina t i on a re d raw n upon. Sunsh ine, f r om g low in g o rangeand re ga l pu rp le t o s tea l t hy tw i l i g h t mauve. A s tee l y moon ligh t. S ta r l i gh t .B u t a l s o a u n i q u e r a n g e o f u n c a n n y n i g h t w o r l d l u m i n e s c e n c e s - t h e p e c u l i a rg re e n s o f b u r n i n g c oa ls, t h e f a i n t g lim m e r a t t h e h e a r t o f o ny x es a n d b la c kd iamonds , t h e s i l ve ry l in i ngs o f i c e and snow i n l i gh t l ess c rev ices , t h e b luesc in t i l l a t i on o f suga r c rushed i n t h e d ark . A n d t h e g r ou n d o f a l l t he s e e f f e c t sis sheer, c ry s ta l trans lucency - R oe r ich 's famous h ig h H im a layan te rseness.H is se cre t i s th e use o f pu re co lours . Our eye is no long er used t o them, wea r e g l u t t e d w i t h c e n t u ri e s o f d i r t y , i n d e te r m i n a te , m i xe d -u p t i n ts . O n e m i g h tw e l l imag ine R oe r i ch wor r y i ng ove r a speck o f dus t on h i s pa in ts , neve r us ingthe same tu rpen t i ne tw i ce .When absorbed i n h is scenery, we fe e l as i f w e brea thed th in ,i n to x i c a t i n g a i r , and we rea l ise t h a t a power -l aden d isc losu re i s be ing u rgedupon us. The hard , so lemn and da zz l in g l i g h t i s reque s t ing o f us th a t wes t r a in our a t t en t i on to t he u tmos t; i t i s i n the p rocess o f convey ings o m e th in g o f u l t i m a t e im p o rt an c e. I n f a c t th es e p i c t u r e s c a r r y a d e f i n i t emea ning: the y ope n up vistas f o r us in our inwardness.Th is aga in i s someth ing w e a re no longer used to in pa in t ing . We nolonge r expec t t he a r t i s t t o be a me taphys ic ian , s i nce the He rm e t i cRenaissance - s ince the las t schools o f can on ica l icon-p a in t ing i n Russ ia . Asa m a t t e r o f f as t, R o e r i c h e x e c u te d t r a d i t i o n a l B y z a n t i n e fre sco s, b u t w h a t

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conce rns us mos t i s th a t he ach ieved the same sp i r i t u a l a ims o f the i con i nh i s o rd ina ry , non -cano n ica l pa in t ing , th rou gh the s ta rk p u r i t y o f h i s l i gh t i ng .A w o r d o f ca u t i o n t o a nyon e w h o may f e e l ca r r i e d a w a y b y R o e r i ch ' s a r tmay he re be i n o rde r . He imp l i ed tha t the commonly accep ted h i s to ry o f 20 thce n tu ry a r t i s u t t e r l y fa lse. He used th e word "snobb ish". What i s more , t hevery g r a i n o f h is b rush-work invo lves as much.I t is g e n e r a ll y assum ed t h a t t h e p i vo t a l e xp e r ie n ce i n R u ss ia n 2 0 t hce n tu ry p a in t ing was Kand insky 's , as he p rogressed f ro m e ar ly symbo l ism toh is c o n f r o n t a t i o n i n M u n i c h w i t h t r i b a l a r t, e v e n tu a ll y l ea d in g h i m t o p lu ng ei n t o t h e a b s t r a c t. T h e w h o le o f o u r cu r r e n t m o de rn a r t h i s t o r y h in g e s o n o u rb e l ie f t h a t K a n di ns k y 's e x p e ri en c e w as n o t o nly f a t a l, b u t c r u c i a l t o a l l a n dev ery one.B u t wh a t happens i f we h o ld Roe r i ch ' s ach ievemen t above Kand insky ' sa n d e f f e c t a sw i t ch o f p a ra dig m s? W e a r e bo un d t o d o so, i f w e p a r a l l e lt h e i r l ive s. B o t h s t a r t e d by se ek in g f o r t h e i r a r ch a ic R u ss ia n r o o ts . I nK a n d i n sky 's case t h i s l e d t o p r e t t y f o l k s cenes. A p a r t f r o m h i s r o l e i nS t rav insky ' s Sacre, R o e r i c h re - c r e a t e d f o r e c e f u l ly p r e - C h r i s ti a n R u s i n ahau n t ing set o f p i c tu res . One o f them i s h i s 1902 Idols (a t t he Russ ianM u se um i n L e n i n g r a d ) - tw i s t ed damp g reen ish to te m po les su r round a hugeg re y s t o n e w i t h i n a n om ino us c i r c u l a r p a l isa de h u ng w i t h p a l e ye l l o w i n g h o rsesku lls , a t a r i ve r - loop . I t i s a mas te rp iece o f mag ica l evoca t i on .B o th a r t i s t s subsequen tly face d th e cha ll enge o f ex o t i c a rt s. Kand inskya nd t h e B l a u e R e i t e r g r ou p r e a c t e d b y g o i n g a b s tr ac t.W h en R o e r i ch ca m e t o N e w Y o r k i n 1920, h e p u rp o se ly j u x ta p o se d a t h i sCente r , Corona I t a l i an and F lem ish Rena issance , the Russ ian i con ,T ibe tan and Amer i can Ind ian a r t , as s t rands wh ich i t i s t he mode rn task tow e a ve i n t o a n e w g l o b a l pa t te r n . B u t t o d a r e as m u ch on e n ee ds a p l a ceo n e se l f fr o m a m e t a p h ys i ca l co i g n o f vantag e. A l l K a n d in sky h a d w a s as imp l i s t i c va r ie t y o f t heosoph ica l i deas .The re a re many app roaches to Roe r i ch ' s p o in t o f v iew . Wh a t he s ta te d i nl i n e a n d c ol ou r w o u l d n o t s t a n d m u c h t o g a in by b e i n g p u t i n t o d r y s c h o la s ti cjargon. I a p p en e d t o b e s id e - tr a cke d i n t o h i s w o r l d d u r i n g a jo u r n e y t h a ttook m e f rom Sou th Ind ia n sh rines to Benares . A t th e Theosoph ica l Soc ie ty i nA d y a r I e l t d r a w n t o t h e m e an in gs h i n t e d a t i n h is p a i n t i n g h a n gi ng t he re ,show ing a "mys te r i ous guest" emerg ing ou t o f t he H ima layan dusk. A t thejourney's end, I c a m e u po n t h e r o o m f u l o f R o e r i c h s a t t h e B a n a r e s H i n duU niv er s i t y Museum: Him alayan peaks and abysses, grand iose ly sw ee ping slopes,and, da r ing a l l th e i r c rush ing immens i ty , a m ed i ta t in g so l i ta ry man, o r ascu lp ted stone , o r a c i r c le o f D ru id - l i ke stones , o r a sh rine . The c louds aboveseem to be ga th e r ing i n to t he shape o f a ho rseman: He, th e K in g o fShambala.R o e r i c h w r o t e a p o w e r f u l essay o n H i m al aya n m y t h s - t h a t o f m i d d l e - a g e dJesus i n Kashmi r, and th a t o f t h e Emp i re-bes tow ing cup o f the Gra i l , scoopedou t o f a m e teo r i t e , t h e appu rtenance o f T imu r and Akba r . W ha t he seemedde te rm ined ly ben t on sp read ing was the m y th o f Shambha la . Be th a t w ha t i tmay, w ha t coun ts i s tha t he tu rne d the a rche type o f the Reedemer and h i sH o ly L a n d i n t o a l i v i n g v i s io n a t t h e t o u ch o f h i s b ru sh- s tr oke . H e o f f e r s ust h e re b y a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o p ass th r o u g h h is p i c t u r e s f r o m t h e a c t u a l t o t h ep o t e n t i a l o r a r ch e t yp a l l e v e l o f be ing .B u t i f a b o ve e ve n t h i s w e a r e a b l e t o f e e l , a n d t o l o ve t h e q u a r t z l i g h ti t se l f , w h i ch e vokes t h e w h o le a r ch e t yp a l s cen a rio o u t o f t h e b osom o f v i o l e tda rkne ss , a n d i f w e f i n a l l y r e a ch t h e p o i n t w h e r e w e m e l t i n g l y i d e n t i f y w i t ht h a t l i g h t , t h e n w e sh a l l h a ve a chi eve d w h a t " e n li g h te n m e n t " l i t e r a l l ydenotes.