Russian Art
Losenko, A. P.
"Vladimir and Rogneda". 1770
Notes: Vladimir and Rogneda
Vladimir was a prince of Novgorod and Kiev who made advances toward Rogneda, the princess of Polotsk. When she rebuked his solicitations, he destroyed the town and murdered her father and brothers. The landmark painting by Anton Losenko shows the remorseful Vladimir, begging the captive princess's forgiveness as the bloody legacy of his anger begin to weigh on his conscience.
Since it involved the liberal and humanitarian ideas espoused by Catherine the Great during her reign and depicted a scene from Russian rather than ancient history, "Vladimir and Rogneda" became enormously famous. Though the picture is important for its innovative use of a Russian historical subject and its relation to contemporary politics, it seems to have failed aesthetically. Its composition is awkward and the figures are overly theatrical in their postures, gestures, and expressions. (Not completely by chance perhaps, the noted actor, Dmitrievsky, posed for the figure of Vladimir.) Moreover, Losenko's sources, which include figures from the works of Greuze, Vien, Mengs, and antique sculpture, are baldly evident rather than subtly assimilated.
