Providing artists a platform

Dipender Manta

Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery at Naggar in Kullu district provides many artists an opportunity to exhibit their paintings. 

The International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) at Naggar allows artists to exhibit their work as it is the managing authority of Roerich Art Gallery, which is making efforts to preserve this heritage. 

Artists said it provides a global stage to artists to exhibit their talent as foreign and domestic tourists visit the gallery in large numbers.

Bhupinder Dhutti, an artist from Delhi, said: “Nicholas Roerich Art Gallery at Naggar is unique and the best place for artists to exhibit their paintings. It provides a world class stage to artists because a large number of foreign and domestic tourists visit here round the year. It directly benefits artists.”

“I am exhibiting my work here since 2017 and the cooperation of IRMT authority is commendable. There is always a scope for improvement. To display paintings at the art gallery, we have to use panels because there are only three walls, where paintings can be displayed directly on the wall,” he said.

Nilesh Nikam, an artist hailing from Mumbai, said: “I displayed paintings at the art gallery last month, which was a unique experience. I used to exhibit my paintings in different parts of India, but the experience at Roerich Art Gallery was the best. The charges were minimum, which every artist can afford easily. At the same time, artists, who visit, get an opportunity to have a glimpse of unique paintings created by renowned artist Nicholas Roerich, who extensively travelled the world.”

Deep Kanga, an artist from Bilaspur, said: “There is a need to make improvement at the art gallery for the display of paintings for exhibition purpose. However, it is one of best platforms in Himachal Pradesh for artists to display their work.” 

Indian curator of IRMT Ramesh Chandra said: “Artists from India and abroad visit every year to exhibit their paintings. IRMT provides an opportunity to them to exhibit their painting at the gallery at minimum charges. They get a week to exhibit their paintings. The artists are asked to donate one of their paintings to the art gallery.”

As many as 79,074 tourists visited the gallery last year, which is the highest so far. The IRMT is making every possible effort to preserve this heritage gallery. Several things were incorporated from tourism point of view to make improvements to it.

“The trust has made significant developments at the art gallery, where four museums (Roerich art gallery, Urusvati, Devika Rani Gallery and Himalayan Folk Art Museum) have been created to keep art intact. Apart from this, the IRMT Cultural-Educational Centre has been set up to widen the range of educational services provided by IRMT to local residents and visitors. Several classes of Indian classical dance, classical vocal, traditional musical instruments and paintings are held at the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts for the children of Naggar and neighbouring villages,” he said.

“We organise international-level seminars and academic workshops every year, in which a large number of students from different parts of India as well as abroad take part,” he said.

Nicholas Roerich’s rich legacy

• Nicholas Roerich (October 9, 1874 – December 13, 1947) was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, theosophist, philosopher, and public figure, who in his youth, was influenced by a movement in Russian society around the spiritual. He was interested in hypnosis and other spiritual practices and his paintings are said to have hypnotic expression.
• Born at Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a well-to-do notary public father of Baltic German ancestry and a Russian mother, he lived in various places around the world until his death in Naggar, Himachal Pradesh. Trained as an artist and a lawyer, his main interests were literature, philosophy, archaeology and art. He was a dedicated activist for the cause of preserving art and architecture during the times of war. He earned several nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. The so-called Roerich Pact was signed into law by the US and most nations of the Pan-American Union in April 1935.
• Roerich was in India during the Second World War, where he painted Russian epic heroic and saintly themes, including: Alexander Nevsky, The Fight of Mstislav and Rededia and Boris and Gleb.

...and a rich collection

• The collection of paintings at the gallery comprises 37 studies of the Himalayas by Nicholas Roerich. Other paintings include ‘Mountain Glaciers’, ‘Pongalo Lake’, ‘Shery Monastery’, Ladakh, and ‘Mount Kailash’.
• Each study is unique, but they all reveal to us the peerless beauty of the Himalayas. The paintings of Nicholas depict that mountains live and breathe and in their breathing the breath of the Earth and the breath of the universe are fused. The artist was convinced that the Himalayas hold the key to many a mystery of the planet and mankind’s history.
• The key paintings are study of mountains, Shang Thang Highland, On the shore of Pangalo lake, Mount Kailash, Tibetan Lake, Mountain pass, Buddhist monks returning from Lahaul, Study of Sherry Monastery Ladakh.
• Apart from this, the painting of his son Svetoslav Roerich is also displayed at the gallery, which is a master piece of art. His paintings are on Naggar village, M Mountain — double peaks of Ghepang, Gaddi girl, Landscape study and Study of trees.

Visitors at the gallery

2012-13 52,279

2013-14 54,079

2014-15 52,107

2015-16 49,116

2016-17 59,223

2017-18 79,074