Commemorative postage on Dr. S. Roerich, a renowned russian artist
The Department of Posts has released a commemorative postage stamp today on Dr. Svetoslav Roerich, a renowned Russian artist, who made India his home. The stamp is in the denomination of Rs. 5. A Russian by birth, Svetoslav Roerich has done his studies in England as well as in the United States. Svetoslav Roerich has many eminent personalities like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Sarojini Naidu, etc., as his friends through his nature of amiable manners, broad outlook and keen appreciation of human values. He was conferred the Padma Bhushan Award in the year 1961
Svetoslav Roerich, at the age of 12 painted his first portrait of his father which was greatly appreciated. In 1919 he started studies in architecture and painting in London. Thereafter his family moved out of England to the United States of America in 1920 where he joined the Architectural Branch of the Columbia University. He continued his education at the Architectural School at Howard University. After completion of his studies in the USA Svetoslav Roerich left for India along with his parents and started residing in the Kulu Valley at a place called Naggar (Himachal Pradesh). He was the Head of the Department of studying the local pharmacopoeia, flora and fauna in the scientific institute called ‘Uruswati’ founded by his father.
Svetoslav Roerich married Devika Rani, a grand niece of famous Poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1945. Devika Rani was the First Lady of the Indian Cinema. After the death of the father of Svetoslav Roerich they shifted their residence to Bangalore. The Indian ethos left an imprint on his aesthetics. In a majority of his canvases he painted in India, he presented a mosaic of vistas of India, its people, its landscape dotted with high mountains, its flora and fauna, its legends and anthropological peculiarities. Svetoslav Roerich was honoured with Fellowship by Central Lalit Kala Akademy in 1987.
(Release ID :4559)