Set design for Act I of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du printemps Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Paris, 1913
The artist himself contributed to the libretto of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Le Sacre du printemps. While Stravinsky composed the music, Roerich developed the ballet “score”, employing his excellent knowledge of the customs, dances and costumery of the Ancient Slavs in a synthesis of the arts befitting a member of the World of Art. Although his sets were highly acclaimed by the critics, the public failed to understand the revolutionary choreography of Vaslav Nijinsky. Audiences whistled and jeered, drowning out the orchestra. Adoration of the Earth is inspired by ancient Russian history.

Roerich Nicholas

Roerich, Nicholas (Nikolai Konstantinovich)
1874, St Petersburg -7, Kullu (India)
Painter, theatrical designer, writer. Studied under Arkhip Kuindzhi at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1893-97), Faculty of Law, St Petersburg University (1893-98) and Fernand Cormon''s studio in Paris (1900-01). Academician of painting (1909). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1895). Contributed to the exhibitions of the World of Art (1902, 1903, 191 1-17; founding member 1910; chairman 1910-13), Union of Russian Artists ( 1903-10; member from 1903), Salon d''Automne (1906, 1907; member from 1906), Exposition Universelle in Paris (1900), World Exhibition in St Louis (1904), International Exhibitions in Munich (1909), Rome (1911, 1914) and Malmo (1914) and the Exhibitions of Russian Art in Paris (1906-08), Berlin (1906) and Vienna (1908). Director of the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (1906-16). Designed for theatres in Moscow and St Petersburg and Sergei Diaghilev''s Saisons Russes (from 1907). Emigrated (1918). Settled in Kullu in India (1928).