07-10.05.2018
Belarus Meets India ...in the Himalayan Roerich Estate
On May 7-10, 2018, the Himalayan Roerich Estate held a painting exhibition of an unusual guest: Mrs. Tamara Prima, spouse of H.E. Mr. Vitaly Prima, Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of India.
The Indian part of the exhibition is based on her direct impressions of the various regions of the country where she has been staying for more than six years: Goa, Shimla, Agra, Kashmir, Delhi, etc. She tries to capture the scenes of Indian city and village life with their minute and endearing details: sandals left at the entrance of the house, clothes drying on cloth-line, etc. Whether it is soldiers, mahouts or fisherwomen, sadhus or homeless children, Mrs. Prima clearly succeeded in capturing their spontaneous and sincere reactions which are so characteristic of the people of this country.
The exhibition was inaugurated by the Russian and Indian Curators of the IRMT. The ceremony was attended by a number of guests, who, interestingly, included several Belarusians. They remarked that Nicholas Roerich visited the area of today’s Republic of Belarus during his famous tour of historic cities (1903-04), and one painting from his so-called Architectural Series depicts a Belarusian church. They were also happy to see that Mrs. Prima’s works are so full of love to India.
After visiting Roerich Estate, Mrs. Prima would like to do a series on the Himalayas. “Mountains are a special place suffused with wonderful energies. They are as I imagined them: majestic, giving the feeling of peace and presence of divine and guiding power.”
The exhibition fell into two parts: the Belorussian and the Indian. The Belorussian paintings by Mrs. Prima are largely based on her reminiscences of her stay in countryside during her childhood. In this series she depicted the simple life of her countrymen and the beauty of Belorussian nature with its clearly defined seasons which, alas, tend to be forgotten in India.
Interior designer by profession, Mrs. Prima started painting just half a year ago under the influence of one of her acquaintances. The decision was spontaneous. “If you are in India, it is absolutely impossible not to respond to its unique life,” says Mrs. Prima. And she started responding to it almost entirely on her own (except for the basic guidance of the professional Russian artist Natalia Zaitseva-Borisova) first in gouache, and then in acrylic.
