Большой Каньон 1921

SALE 7629

Russian Pictures Part I

London

26 November 2008

Lot 256: Nikolai Roerich (1874-1947)

Auction House: Christie's

Description: Nikolai Roerich (1874-1947)

The Grand Canyon

signed with monogram (lower right)

tempera on canvas

16¾ x 28½ in. (42.5 x 72.4 cm.)

Painted in 1921

Provenance: The Roerich Museum, 1923-1935, New York.

The collection of Louis and Nettie Horch, circa 1935, New York.

By direct descent to the present owner.

On the invitation of the Chicago Art Institute, Nikolai Roerich arrived in the United States in 1920 and immediately embarked on a series of lectures to accompany an extensive exhibition tour of his works to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo and San Francisco. During the course of his three year stay in the States, Roerich spent August - October 1921 with his family in New Mexico, Arizona and California. The present painting is one of several studies and finished compositions of the region executed by Roerich during this period.

In Roerich's 'List of Paintings, 1917-1924' there are several entries that may correspond to the present work including; Arizona, Studies of Arizona (three paintings) and Red Mountains, Santa Fe. However, due to the absence of a complete inventory including dimensions and accurate pictorial descriptions, it is not possible to confirm Roerich's title or the exact location that inspired this particular composition. However, a comparative sketch of the same rock formation is held in the collection of the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York (fig. 1).

It is easy to see why the astonishing beauty of the region so enraptured Roerich. One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the canyon itself is 446 km long, ranges in width from 6.4 to 29 km and attains a depth of over a 1.83 km. With a predilection for dramatic mountainous landscape and ancient civilisations, Roerich found a profound spirituality in a region that had been populated by an indigenous people for thousands of years.

Surprisingly, at the time of Roerich's first visit, Grand Canyon National Park had only been in existence for two years. In fact, it was only when John Wesley Powell travelled the full length of the canyon by boat in 1869 that news of the natural wonder spread. Like many American artists before him, including Thomas Moran (1837-1926) and Samuel Colman (1832-1920), Roerich attempted to capture the breathtaking romanticism of the region. However, Roerich's compositions embue the region with a palpable mysticism; the timeless quality of the natural monoliths is conveyed by Roerich's decisive yet blunt brushstrokes and his vibrant palette of reds and yellows reminiscient of primitive cave painting.

We are grateful to Gvido Trepsa, Senior Researcher at the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, for his assistance in cataloguing the present work

LOT 36

Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)

The Grand Canyon

Estimate

£80,000 - £120,000

($115,840 - $173,760)

Sale 7906

Russian Art

8 June 2010

London, King Street

Lot Description

Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)

The Grand Canyon

signed with monogram (lower right)

tempera on canvas

16¾ x 28½ in. (42.5 x 72.4 cm.)

Painted in 1921

Provenance

The Roerich Museum, 1923-1935, New York.

The collection of Louis and Nettie Horch, circa 1935, New York.

By direct descent to the present owner.

Lot Notes

On the invitation of the Chicago Art Institute, Nicholas Roerich arrived in the United States in 1920 and immediately embarked on a series of lectures to accompany an extensive exhibition tour of his works to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo and San Francisco. During the course of his three year stay in the States, Roerich spent August-October 1921 with his family in New Mexico, Arizona and California. The present painting is one of several studies and finished compositions of the region executed by Roerich during this period.

Surprisingly, at the time of Roerich's first visit, Grand Canyon National Park had only been in existence for two years. In fact, it was only when John Wesley Powell travelled the full length of the canyon by boat in 1869 that news of the natural wonder spread. Like many American artists before him, including Thomas Moran (1837-1926) and Samuel Colman (1832-1920), Roerich attempted to capture the breathtaking romanticism of the region. However, Roerich's compositions imbue the region with a palpable mysticism; the timeless quality of the natural monoliths is conveyed by Roerich's decisive yet blunt brushstrokes and his vibrant palette of reds and yellows reminiscent of primitive cave painting.

We are grateful to Gvido Trepsa and the Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, for their assistance with the cataloguing of the present lot.

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/18991/lot/55/

Lot 55*

Sold for £ 97,250 (RUB 8,023,845) inc. premium

THE RUSSIAN SALE

30 Nov 2011, 14:00 GMT

LONDON, NEW BOND STREET

Nikolai Konstantinovich Roerich (Russian, 1874-1947)

The Grand Canyon, c. 1921

signed with artist's monogram (lower right)

tempera on canvas, laid on board

42 x 72.4cm (16 9/16 x 28 1/2in).

FOOTNOTES

PROVENANCE:

Acquired directly from the artist by Louis and Nettie Horch

Thence by descent

In 1921 after spending three years living in Finland and England, Nikolai Roerich and his family arrived in the United States: the second 'foreign period' of the artist's life formally began. Invited by the Chicago Art Institute to lecture during the tour of 400 of his paintings in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and San Francisco, Roerich had the opportunity to tour America and to find new inspirations and subjects for his paintings.

Together with Louis and Nettie Horch, Roerich's family spent August-October 1921 in New Mexico, Arizona and California. Located high in the mountains, Santa Fe was a remote, spiritual destination, and a place for writers, artists, musicians and various 'spirit seekers'. Roerich was immediately seduced by the intensity of the endless blue sky, crimson sunsets, fiery red mountains, and endless open landscapes. The fresh and exotic beauty of the ancient cliff dwellings in the Jemez Mountains north of Santa Fe, spectacular canyons, and the excavated dwellings of ancient civilizations fascinated Nikolai Roerich. 'The beauty of Switzerland, Norway, Central Asia, and the Caucasus... Africa, Spain, Italy – it is all here and truly amazing,' he told a reporter. The artist captured the remote and timeless beauty of the American Southwest in a small series of works of which these two paintings are very fine examples.

In the inventory of Roerich paintings published in the Roerich Museum catalogue there are several entries that correspond to the body of works completed by the artist during his travels through New Mexico and Arizona, including Cliff Dwelling, Grand Canyon/ Arizona, Santa Fe/ New Mexico, Rio Grande, Santa Fe;. In the artist's 'List of Paintings, 1917-1924' there are several entries listing works completed during that trip: Arizona, Studies of Arizona and Red Mountains, Santa Fe. However, the compete inventory of the series with precise dimensions and inventory numbers is absent, making it impossible to confirm exact titles locations for each painting. Numerous sketches created by the artist in preparation for the larger paintings exist, and the illustrated example corresponds to the Grand Canyon painting offered in this sale. The magnificent red mountains of Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon with remains of the ancient civilization lying at their feet were an endless source of spiritual and creative inspiration for the artist.

Both paintings appear in the photograph illustrating the exhibition of the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York in 1917-1928 (Left wall, second and third works to the left of a large painting).