Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna a year after her imprisonment in the Novodevichy Convent, during the execution of archers and torture of all her servants in Ilya Repin (1844-1930)

Description of Ilya Repin’s The Tsarevna Sophia at the Novodevichy Convent

The painting Tsarevna Sophia at the Novodevichy Convent was Ilya Repin’s first work on historical subjects. It was painted in 1879. The plot is based on real events of 1698, when a revolt was raised against Peter I. It turned out that all to blame the older sister of the ruler Sophia Alexeyevna, which as a punishment for what he did was sent to the Novodevichy monastery.

Repin’s idea was to maximally convey the drama of a strong woman who was deprived of her freedom. This can be seen not only in her posture, but also in facial expressions.

The artist depicted the deposed princess in full growth. Real virility and strength was expressed in a somewhat "manly" figure and arms crossed on his chest. Kramskoy’s characterization of the painting is considered one of the most accurate: "Sophia Alexeyevna looks like a tigress caught and locked in an iron cage.

The artist spent the most time on the face of the tsarevna. Tightly pressed lips, bulging eyes, moved angrily eyebrows. In addition, if you look closely at the picture, you can see the contrast between the untidy hair and beautiful, expensive clothes. All of this indicates some inner turmoil in Sophia. It embodies fear. And in order to clearly demonstrate this, Repin also depicted a frightened nun huddled in a corner.

All other details of the painting were created to emphasize the main image. The dark lighting, the discreet interior, the shadows, the bars. All this creates a strong psychological tension, which conveys the overall mood of the artist’s work.

"Tsarevna Sophia" is considered a heritage of world culture. Repin’s debut in historical portraiture is still considered to be one of the brightest among artists of that era.