Master order (Master Testament) Roerich N.K. (Part 6)

A description of Nikolai Roerich’s painting "The Teacher’s Order

Nicholas Roerich was a very talented artist who painted tirelessly. On his very last day of life, he worked specifically on the painting "The Teacher’s Order." Earlier, in 1927, Roerich had already written "Teacher’s Decree", but 20 years later the master rethought what he had written and changed the original version.

Roerich, at the time of writing the picture, had not been in Altai for over 20 years. But his native lands attracted the artist. He missed his homeland and always considered himself an exclusively Russian artist. He embodied his love for Russia in this work.

In this picture, we see the Altai landscape. The canvas is as if divided into two equal parts. On both sides of the high mountains, and separates them a small mountain river. Water nevertheless sharpens stone, so this low-water rivulet was able to force its way through these stone giants.

The mountains are also depicted in the foreground of the work. They are lower than those in the distance, but they have their own feature. On a small ledge sits a young man. He is wearing a traditional monk’s robe that covers his left shoulder. The monk sits in a lotus pose, his head slightly tilted to the right. He seems to be writing something.

A little higher up, above the monk’s head is a bird. It is a white mountain eagle. It is no coincidence that he is present in this work. This bird carries the good news to the monk. The teacher, the spiritual master of this young monk sent the eagle to tell the great secret. All of Nicholas Roerich’s works are imbued with symbolism. The white mountain eagle is a symbol of good news, a symbol of enlightenment, of goodness. He flew into this world to give people peace.

In drawing the mountains, the master uses soft smooth lines. There are no sharp breaks, which are usual for rocks. This way of painting creates the effect of buoyancy, instability of the Altai Mountains.