Nicholas Roerich: The Artist Who Would Be King (Russian and East European Studies)

633 Pages·2022·15.663 MB·English

by  John McCannon

Nicholas Roerich
russian and east european studies
jonathan harris, editor
Nicholas
Roerich
The Artist Who Would Be King

john mccannon
University of Pittsburgh Press
published by the university of pittsburgh press, pittsburgh, pa., 15260
Copyright © 2022, University of Pittsburgh Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Printed on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cataloging-in-Publication data is available from the Library of Congress
ISBN 13: 978-0-8229-4741-7
ISBN 10: 0-8229-4741-2
Cover art: S. N. Roerich, Portrait of N. K. Roerich with Mountains (1934). Oil on canvas, 133 x 118 cm.
National Gallery of Foreign Art, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Cover design: Alex Wolfe
With love to Pam and Miranda

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Note on Languages, Names, and Dates xi
Abbreviations and Foreign Terms xiii
Code Words and Spiritual Names Used by Roerich’s “Inner Circle” xv
Introduction: The Artist Who Would Be King? 3
1. Childhood and Youth, 1874–1893 14
2. Academy Days, 1893–1897 23
3. Journeyman Years, 1897–1902 38
4. The Architecture of Heaven, 1903–1906 61
5. The Nightingale of Olden Times, 1907–1909 93
First gallery of images follows page 112
6. The Great Sacrifice, 1910–1913 121
7. The Doomed City, 1913–1918 165
8. The Exile, 1918–1920 195
9. The Watchtowers of America, 1920–1923 218
10. The Messenger, 1923–1925 249
Second gallery of images follows page 280
11. Searching for Shambhala, 1925–1928 289
12. The Silver Valley, 1928–1930 337
13. The Banner of Peace, 1931–1934 362
14. The Black Years, 1934–1936 395
15. Readjustment and Resignation, 1936–1939 442
16. Into the Twilight, 1939–1947 460
Third gallery of images follows page 488
Epilogue: Contested Legacies 497
Notes 515
Selected Bibliography 589
Index 599
viii contents
Acknowledgments
I
t took a long time to write this book, Carlson, Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal, Birgit
and I accumulated many debts along Menzel, Manju Kak, Ludmilla Voitkovska,
the way. (So many, in fact, that I apol- and Lisa Smith. Special notice goes to a co-
ogize in advance for the inevitable but, I hort of Roerich specialists who proved par-
hope, not too numerous omissions.) My ticularly generous about collaborating and
graduate-school days are far behind me, but exchanging ideas and insights: I owe a great
I nonetheless owe thanks to my advisers at deal to Alexandre Andreyev, Dany Savelli,
the University of Chicago, Richard Hellie Andrei Znamenski, and Ian Heron, and I
and Sheila Fitzpatrick, who supported ear- likewise appreciate the advice and materi-
ly stages of this research despite its sharp als I received from Vladimir Rosov, Darya
departure from my dissertation work. Mark Kucherova, Markus Osterrieder, Anita Sta-
Bassin has acted as a mentor and friend sulane, and Shareen Blair Brysac.
throughout my career. As always, I am per- Over the course of writing this book, I
petually grateful to my Chicago classmates benefited from the help of staff and special-
for years of camaraderie and encouragement. ists at almost four dozen archives, libraries,
When I began this project, I fretted and museums. I especially thank Fernanda
about trespassing on the domain of art his- Perrone, Tanya Chebotareva, and Stanley
torians, only to find myself welcomed to Rabinowitz at the Rutgers Special Collec-
the field by a hospitable group that includes tions, the Bakhmeteff Archive at Colum-
Karen Kettering, Rosalind Blakesley, Susan bia University, and the Amherst Center
Reid, Jane Sharp, and Andrea Rusnock. The for Russian Culture, respectively, and also
Society of Historians of Eastern European, Linda Briscoe Myers of the Harry Ransom
Eurasian and Russian Art community, both Center at the University of Texas. I am
online and in person, continues this stan- grateful to Oriole Farb Feshbach, not only
dard of good will. Beyond that, many schol- for granting access to privately held papers,
ars from various disciplines have answered but also for graciously answering endless
queries, read draft versions of my work, or questions about her family’s involvement
included me in conference panels and essay with the Roerich saga. Most of all, I had
collections. Though this list could be much the pleasure during the late 1990s of visit-
longer, I wish to thank Jim Andrews, Chris- ing the Nicholas Roerich Museum regularly,
topher Ely, Willard Sunderland, Maria making use of its archives and interviewing
ix