Boyarina Morozova

"Boyarina Morozova" (1887), held at the Tretyakov Gallery, is one of the supreme achievements of Russian historical painting. It depicts the 1671 arrest of Feodosia Morozova, a noblewoman who embraced the Old Believer cause and refused to accept the Nikonian church reforms, continuing to practice and promote the old religion despite pressure from Tsar Alexis. She was arrested and transported through Moscow on a sledge, and Surikov depicts this moment: Morozova, dressed in black and manacled, raises two fingers in the Old Believer blessing as she passes through the crowd. The crowd's reactions span the full range from reverence to mockery — a pilgrim blesses her, a holy fool sits in the snow in solidarity, a noblewoman watches with compassion, a merchant sneers. Surikov researched the subject for years, studying seventeenth-century Moscow, the costume of every social class shown, and the specific facial types of the characters. The painting is a landmark in the history of Russian art.

Surikov structures the composition around the horizontal movement of the sledge cutting through the vertical crowd — the contrast between Morozova's horizontal trajectory and the upright crowd expressing the tension between her individual will and social authority. The two-fingered raised hand is the visual and spiritual centre of the composition. The crowd of onlookers is painted with extraordinary individual specificity, each face a distinct study in psychological response.