Backby Svetoslav Roerich
Published and printed in Russia
International Centre of the Roerichs, 2004
There are many books written by artists in which they have recorded their own particular philosophy of art, their theories and discoveries. But this one can rightfully be titled unique even amongst those, which are recognized as the most notable. Making an attempt to introduce the author of «Art and Life» to our readers, it would be not enough to say that he was a great Artist who brought to mankind an inspiring message of Beauty through his wondrous paintings. In order to represent a Svetoslav Roerich's full-length portrait one needs to use the same multicoloured palette as the artist himself used in his canvases. He was a profound and original philosopher who gave a fine synthesis of the Eastern and Western thought and realized in his own life all the moral maxims he preached; an earnest explorer who cooperated with many scientific institutions; an educator-humanist who was closely connected with numerous cultural organizations and concerned about the future of mankind, about a more perfect generation... These aspects of his multifaceted and integral personality were most strikingly manifested in this book.
«Some appraised Svetoslav in Art; some appreciated him in life; some admired him in Art and Life,» wrote the Indian press about Svetoslav Roerich at the end of 1940's. By publishing this book which was written by the artist in English at the beginning of 1950's, we hope to provide to our readers a happy possibility to discover for themselves an infinite beautiful and colourful world, the world of Svetoslav Roerich's Art and Life, the luminous world of creative thought of a great Artist and great Man.
Irina Neich