Russian Art
Ivanov, D. I.
"Martha of the Posad". 1808
Notes: Martha of the Posad (The Hermit Pheodosius Boretsky Handing Rathmir's Sword to the Young Novgorodian Chief Miroslav, Destined by Martha to be her Daughter Xenia's Husband)
This episode from Russian history typifies the native subject matter that Dmitri Ivanov preferred to paint. He was a pupil of the Academician, Grigory Ugryumov, 1764-1823 (see ImageBase), who had helped to establish Russian subject matter as worthy of serious pictorial art. An archaeological expedition in the years 1809 and 1810 furthered Ivanov's interest in Russian subjects. Though he is best known for his history paintings, he also executed landscapes and portraits.
