NIKOLAI ROERICH (RUSSIAN 1874-1947)

NIKOLAI ROERICH (RUSSIAN 1874-1947)

Lake Hympola,1917
tempera and pastel on board
39.8 x 43.5 cm (15 3/4 x 17 1/4 in)
signed with monogram and dated 1917 lower left On verso, Inscribed: #154 cat, with label with inscriptions in Louis Horch's hand, miscellaneous inscriptions

PROVENANCE
Collection of the Roerich Museum, New York, 1923–1935
Collection of Nettie and Louis Horch, from 1935
Collection of Dr. Carlos Giro, New York, 1957-2003
Private Collection, USA

EXHIBITED
The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition: New York, Kingor Galleries; Boston, Boston Art Club; Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery; Chicago, Art Institute; St Louis, City Art Museum; San Francisco, Museum of Art; Omaha, Fine Arts Society; Kansas, City Art Institute; Cleveland, Museum of Art; Indianapolis, Herron Art Institute; Minnesota State fair; Milwaukee, Art Institute; Detroit, Institute of Art, and more cities, 1920-1923
Roerich Museum, New York, 1923-1935 (permanent exhibition)

LITERATURE
Christian Brinton, The Nicholas Roerich Exhibition, New York, 1920, no.154 (nos. 152-172 listed collectively as: Rocks and Cliffs - Ladoga Series)
Roerich, New York: Corona Mundi, 1924, illustrated on pl. [22] and titled: Lake of Hympola. Finland
Roerich Museum Catalogue, New York, 1930, p. 16, nos. 151-164 (listed collectively as: Rocks and Cliffs - Ladoga Series)
N. Roerich, Agni Publishing, Gallery of Art Academy, Art Center Kunstberatung. Samara-Moscow-Zurich, 2011. Vol 2, pg. 458 (illustrated)

LOT NOTES
When Nicholas Roerich published a monograph of 62 of his works in 1924, he chose to include two landscapes from his stay in Karelia (1917-1919). One of the two is the present work, painted in 1917, a landscape of Lake Hympola (Hymppelä in Finnish). His choice suggests that Roerich held this painting in particularly high regard and it remains one of the best representations of what was a prolific period in his artistic career.

The calm waters and vibrant blues of this work betray none of the turmoil that surrounded Roerich's personal life during this time. He was suffering from chronic pneumonia and had just fled from Russia to escape the violence and chaos of the Revolution. He settled in the Lake Ladoga area, living on the Yhinlahti estate with his family, and painted almost 100 works in 1917 alone. That year was marked by struggle. Letters to friends reveal a lingering sense of detachment and depression, and more than one of his Karelia landscapes lack the life that he was so desperately seeking.

This painting was a breakthrough, proof that Roerich could retaliate against adversity by immersing himself in waters and rock formations that had stood the test of time. He grounds himself on a ledge, inviting the viewer to sit with him and gaze across the lake, past the distant mountain range and cloud formations. The vast distance between the brown rock in the foreground and the deep blue horizon is not unlike Roerich's own journey from sickness and strife to hope and a renewed sense of purpose. In the middle, the rocks display an intense battle between the elements, full of conflicting twists and turns. But, despite the cool Northern light, tiny flecks of deep golden yellow peak out from the icy blues, signs of warmth in a desolate landscape.

Roerich exhibited most of the works painted in 1917-1918 in his personal exhibitions in Stockholm (November, 1918), as well as Copenhagen and Helsinki (1919) and later London (1920. The present work was almost certainly among them, even though we are unable to identify it in the exhibition catalogs as the titles of the Karelia landscapes kept changing at the time.

We would like to thank Gvido Trepša, Senior Researcher at Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, for providing catalogue information.

CONDITION
Observed out of frame, the painting appears in age-appropriate condition. Minor rubbing and wear to the perimeter resulting from the framing technique. Inspection under UV light shows no apparent sign of restoration.
framed dimensions: 48.5 x 52 cm (19 1/8 x 20 1/2 in.)

Kindly note, the auction is comprised of two sessions:
Session I: Russian and Asian Art, Antiques and Jewelry, lots 1-331
Session II: European, North and South American, and Ethnographic Art, Antiques, Jewelry, and Design, lots 500-827

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