Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich in Peterhof

PETERS TIME

Oh, how Peters deeds will shake Russia!
In its remote corners, where the resin of old times lingers.

Oh, by Peters harshness,
The Byzantine world is shattered.
A cruel king, a stern ruler,
Will drive away the fat from the boyars.

Revelry – to the point of death!
And a merciless onslaught of death.
And there is no thought for firmness.
From faith until this day...

So whats the point? Work hard,
Study in Holland.
And become European –
Thats how life will be!

Was it really so good –
Peters noise and clamor?
A building force
On both shores?

Or would we have come to that,
In a Byzantine style,
So that Russia would appear as a garden?
It is unclear to anyone...

But Peters storms
From the deepest of times
Look at us, stern –
Todays living.

What a complex and multifaceted our Russian history is! How many events, both tragic and heroic, grand and simple! So much pain and joy, humility and exuberance, betrayal and devotion! So much could be described, depicted, voiced... Which is exactly what the great Russian composers, writers, and artists did. Artists, in particular, often turned their attention to Russian history and tried to depict everything as accurately and sincerely as possible.

How many complaints and accusations have been leveled against Peter the Great for a long time now. And this is heard alongside praises and odes to his glorious path. The artist Nikolai Ge chose a rather unusual and controversial theme for his painting: Alexei and Peter, son and father. At that time, it was quite common and even bold to say that the emperor was simply the king-son murderer. He ordered the execution of his only heir solely because he did not follow in his footsteps. As if everyone has forgotten that this was a direct betrayal by the Tsarevich, who intended to lead an army against his own father.

But the matter is not entirely about the confrontation between two individuals, although this plays a significant role here. The artist, through conjecture, created a remarkable masterpiece. Why conjecture? Because no one knows if such a meeting actually took place, or if they spoke to each other at all? And if they did speak, what did they say? Was the father trying to persuade his son, did he want to forgive him? Even if he did, he could not. He could not because then it would not have been an act of a Tsar, but an act of a father, not an Emperor. But Peter was expected to perform an imperial act – Kill the traitor! Interestingly, you will not find the Emperors signature in the documents; this fate (his execution) of the Tsarevich was approved by the Senate.

But what is depicted in the painting? It is an attempt to represent this conversation. An attempt to understand, even if it happened, what close people once could have said to each other... In fact, nothing good comes out of it, and this is evident from the moment of the conversation that the artist captured. Look: Peter looks at his son with contempt, but also with a certain pity, while Alexei seems more embarrassed than ashamed. He is not broken; he still considers his father a heretic and an antichrist, as his entourage had done for a long time. And it is this confrontation that Ge has captured on the canvas, and you can almost feel the tension in this pause of conversation, the clash between two personalities and two directions – one was leading the country forward, while the other wanted to preserve the old ways.

The deep sorrow of a father for his son who is not acting rationally.