Overseas Guests
1902
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Location in museum
The Rossi Wing
Open the panorama of the hall in the virtual tour
Room 41 - Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryHistory Painting
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Nicholas Roerich’s Overseas Guests casts the viewer back to the romantic world of strong and brave Varangians, who, as the artist himself affirmed, introduced «a new impetus» into Russian history. The poetical structure of the canvas and its fairytale elegance contribute to the unusual nature of the history theme. The master employs several devices of Russian folk art — terse drawing and intense decorative tones. This inherent link to folk art was indicated in the catalogue of Roerich’s one-man show (1903), which lists this work as Overseas Guests. Folk Picture. The canvas was painted at Fernand Cormon’s studio in Paris, where Roerich was a student. The artist later repeated the picture for collectors. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 264.