Ivan Tsarevich riding the Grey Wolf Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926)

Description of Victor Vasnetsov’s painting "Ivan Tsarevich on the Grey Wolf".

This work of art was painted by Vasnetsov in 1889 in Ukraine. The painting is currently on display in the Tretyakov Gallery. Ivan-Tsarevich and his companion are fleeing on a grey wolf.

The plot of the painting emphasizes the theme of fairy tales and fantasy of Russian folk art. These include mysterious trees, dense forest, the gray wolf, which carries on its back fairy tale heroes. Thereby Vasnetsov is trying to get away from reality and the present, immersing the viewer in a distant and unknown fairy tale past.

In the center of the picture three fairy tale heroes are depicted at once. Ivan Tsarevich, dressed in a lavish royal dress, with a worried and sullen look directed to the depths of the forest.

Elena the Beautiful is in the arms of Ivan the Tsarevich. She is frightened and submissive at the same time, bows her head on his chest and trusts Ivan completely. And finally, Ivan’s huge and strong gray friend, the wolf, who carries his riders away from the imminent pursuit. His whole body is tense, his paws are outstretched, his ears are flattened, which emphasizes all the movement of the wolf, pointing somewhere forward. He is already tired from the long gallop and can barely stay on his feet, saving his friends. The main characters are surrounded by a dense forest, which with its branches tries to catch, and to prevent the travelers from hiding from the pursuit.

At the same time it conveys to the viewer the danger hanging over Ivan Tsarevich and his chosen companion. The author does not leave the background of the picture without attention. There you can see the trunks of large and age-old trees. Their branches are intertwined and can barely let in the sunlight.

On the right side of the painting the author has depicted a gnarled but blooming tree, and in front a marsh with blooming water lilies. Which could mean a symbol of the beginnings of something bright and wonderful and the hope for a better outcome.