nicholas roerich (; october 9, 1874 – december 13, 1947) – also known as nikolai konstantinovich rerikh () – was a russian painter, writer, archaeologist and theosophist. some people in russia thought of him as an enlightener, philosopher, and public figure. he was interested in hypnosis and other spiritual practices. his paintings are said to have hypnotic expression. he was born in saint petersburg to a russian mother and a baltic german father. roerich was an activist for the preserving of art and architecture during war time. he earned several nominations for the nobel peace prize long list. the roerich pact which was signed into law in 1935 by the united states and most nations of the pan-american union was named after him.