      In 1581, the first Tsar of Russia Ivan IV Vasilyevich, also known as Ivan the Terrible, flew into a rage at his pregnant step-daughter’s immodest clothing. The Tsar, already infamous for his brutality and mental instability, struck his daughter and continued to beat her, possibly leading to a miscarriage. Upon discovering what his father had done, his second son, also named Ivan, confronted his father and engaged in a heated argument, throwing Vasilyevich into another maelstrom of anger where he beat his son with a pointed staff, fatally wounding him. The aftermath of this event has been immortalized by painter Ilya Repin, who captured a grieving Ivan IV as he cradled his son’s dying body, blood spattered on his face and seeping through his fingers as he looks outwards, his eyes capturing a deep, longing sorrow that can not be appropriately captured by words alone. Color, detail, layout, all of these elements come together to create a snapshot of history, encapsulating all the fear, regret, and anguish of that moment with the intricate brushstrokes of a master artist at work.

      Color choice is an important factor when painting, the hues and values helping to set the tone of a piece and create variation in how they are placed next to each other on the easel. In this picture, the colors of the background are very muted, dark browns and murky reds that seem to blend and fade into the background, the two figures, the Tsar and Ivan, however, stand out considerably in comparison. The vibrant, golden sheen of Ivan’s robes immediately stand out to the viewer, acting as an anchor that the human eye immediately latches onto, moving upwards from there to Ivan’s head wound which, despite the hand pressing into it, is caked in so much fresh blood that you can practically smell it. The Tsar, on the other hand, is garbed in a heavy black cloak, causing his son to stand out more in comparison and pushing the Tsar into the background. The broken father hanging like the shadow of death over his son as he cradles him in his hands.

      The level of detail apparent in the painting varies in a similar fashion to the color palette, with the background and parts of the foreground painted in a broad, simplistic style that brings the works of future Impressionist artists to mind. The figures of Ivan and his son are painted with considerably more detail, with special attention being paid to their clothing and expressions. This creates a dreamlike atmosphere, where everything outside of the two characters seems to fall away, becoming non-existent to Ivan as he struggles to comprehend what he has done.  

      The format of this painting differed from other paintings of the period in the way that it is rendered on a squat, boxy easel, barely large enough to fit the two figures and the room behind them. A sense of claustrophobia may fall over the viewer as they attempt to appreciate it, emulating how isolated the Tsar feels, how lost and alone he seems as he reflects on what he has done, if he is capable of thinking at all amidst the whirlwind of emotions playing on his harrowing expression. This tightened framing, along with the way the light source seems to come from the direction of the viewer, implies that the picture may be from the perspective of one of Ivan IV’s many servants or family members, just now stumbling upon the grieving Tsar and silently watching as they try to piece together the events that lead to this tragic moment.

      Ilya Repin was a master painter, equivalent to Leo Tolstoy in terms of global recognition and mastery of his craft. Ivan the Terrible and his Son is proof of that mastery, capturing this historic moment through his understanding of colors, layout, and painstaking attention to detail. And that was the reason Repin, along with many other artists of the time, painted a moment such as this one, to preserve such historical moments for the future. As we continue to move forward in time history only continues to fall further and further backwards in time. Countless moments in history have happened with only printed text as any proof that they ever occurred, with many other events lost to the sands of time, leaving just enough evidence in their absence to keep historians musing on their importance and how they might have impacted the present if they had been preserved. As such, artists such as Repin took it upon themselves to render these historical moments as they might have happened, capturing their historical, and emotional, impact as accurately as any modern camera.

      Preservation of these historical moments is important as humanity continues to stride onwards into the future. If we are not able to look back on our mistakes and learn from them, then we are doomed to repeat them.