Portrait of Helena Roerich Roerich's wife, Helena, translated Mme. Blavatsky's Theosophical "Secret Doctrine" into Russian and later founded the Agni Yoga Society, an institute that synthesized eastern thought. Roerich's sets for Diaghilev's "Le Sacre du Printemps" that brought him first fame was set in Russia but showed an enchanted, symbol-laden landscape he soon would transfer to his paintings of Asia. The Roerichs left St. Petersburg before the revolution, eventually reaching the United States where Roerich gained patronage for his painting and funding for institutionalizing his philosophy of art.