The artist is Roerich
Grand Dukes Boris and Gleb are the sons of Grand Duke Vladimir, in which Rus’ adopted Christianity. Boris and Gleb, following the Christian commandments, did not go against his older brother, prevented his murder, thereby strengthening the principles of Orthodoxy, who replaced paganism with his cruel and wild customs. For many good deeds, Boris and Gleb, killed in 1015, are the first princes, canonized by the Russian and Constantinople churches.
Nikolai Roerich. In search of Shambhala. Exhibition catalog in Malaga. 2019. WITH. 115.
The picture was created in the late period of the artist’s life when he lived in the village of Nugar, located in the Kulu Valley in India. At this time in diaries n.Roerich discusses the need "pay tribute to the leaders of the land of Russian", so that the glory of the Russian sounds on all parts of the world. Creating his works, the artist addresses the egg timber, the airiness and sonority of which, according to the artist himself, gave freedom to the technique and most accurately answered his ideas about the beauty of Russian history. Folk religious beliefs associated the personalities of Boris and Gleb by the ideas about ascetics – defenders, warriors who do good deeds. The people endowed their heroes with the best human qualities, embodying their spiritual ideals in them.
In the picture, Roerich through allegory turns to people with the ideas of love and good, with calls to the world. The works created at this time sounded especially convincingly, because Russia entered a new fair war for the independence of its Fatherland. Based on the folklore tradition, the master presented on his colorful and saturated fabrics the spiritual, full of internal power images of Boris and Gleb.
Boris and Gleb (in Baptism Roman and David; killed in 1015) – Russian princes, the sons of the Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich from marriage with the Byzantine princess Anna from the Macedonian dynasty. In the internecine struggle that broke out in 1015 after the death of their father, they were killed by their older brother Svyatopolk on the cursed. Boris and Gleb became the first Russian saints, they were canonized in the face of martyrs-strapers, making them intercessors of Russian land and heavenly assistants to Russian princes.
