A grand masquerade in one thousand seven hundred twenty two on the streets of Moscow with the participation of Peter I and Prince Caesar I.F. Romodanovsky, Vasily Surikov

Description of the picture:

A large masquerade in one thousand seven hundred twenty two on the streets of Moscow with the participation of Peter I and Prince Caesar I.F. Romodanovsky – Vasily Surikov. 1900. Cardboard, watercolor, Italian pencil

   This airy watercolor pleases with bright colors and clearly reflects the mores that reigned during the reign of Tsar Peter I. In the entertainments that amused to know by order of the ruler, a mixture of old Russian and new-fashioned, foreign is noticeable. Here are classic folk festivals with bears and buffoons, and parades with jesters brought from abroad.

   The composition of the picture is interesting and rather unusual for the traditions of depicting a royal person. The king is not in the center of the canvas, as was customary in the canons, but somewhere on the side, in the midst of the crowd, dressed in a dress as inconspicuous in color as the majority of the people who were about to stare at the outlandish spectacle. The only difference is the king’s huge growth, his foreign outfit and a characteristic, recognizable appearance.

   In the center of the picture is Prince Caesar Romodanovsky, dressed in royal scarlet, lined with an ermine, a mantle and a hat, with a scepter and in a striking golden robe. Next to him, a mummer, sitting with a bear with a twig in his хэнд, sits on a beam, and real Russian brown bears drag the team.

   The picture depicts a mass of people, each image is a separate character and character. Even in such a sketchy image, the хэнд of a master is felt, the ability to easily convey the sensations of movement, the dynamics of a large number of people."

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