Sadko (decorative panels) Roerich N.K. (Part 1)

A description of Nikolai Roerich’s painting "Sadko"

Nicholas Roerich left behind an incredible number of works after his death dedicated to heroes and their great deeds. The work "Sadko" is a large panel that was part of the cycle of works "Bogatyr Frieze."

The panel is of interest to the public because on it we see not the hero Sadko, but an ordinary man. Sadko is believed to be the epic hero of the Novgorod epic. He was a world-famous musician who played the psaltery. Sadko enchanted listeners with his singing and playing. Once Sadko even defeated the king of the sea, but Roerich abandoned the pathos plot. He turned to another side of Sadko’s life - he portrayed him as a merchant.

We see a wide, deep river. The blue waters go into the distance, all the way to the horizon. The artist has depicted a truly mighty, Russian river: military and merchant ships travel on it, it irrigates the land. On the river floats several small ships. It is obvious that the artist is well acquainted with Old Russian art. Each ship has its own feature, interesting painting and pattern. The ship on which Sadko is sailing is depicted in the center of the picture. On board there are several sailors and goods, which will soon be sold at the fair.

On both banks of the river stretches the glorious city of Veliky Novgorod. This city was famous as the center of trade in Russia. The artist intentionally painted a smaller version of the city. Veliky Novgorod is shown more like a model, but thanks to this manner of painting we can see the whole city in the smallest details.

As it should be, in the center of the Old Russian city is a white-stone cathedral. Around the cathedral we see a few more snow-white buildings, which are surrounded by a high wall of white stone. In order to protect Novgorod from the attacks of enemy troops, it was also decided to wall the city with a high stone wall. The picture is painted in very bright colors. It gives the impression of an impending festival or fair.