Dmitri Slepushkin. A Molieben Before the Battle. 1994

A Molieben Before the Battle (Dmitri Slepushkin, 1994)

We are back, and I wished to start out with something both stirring and reverent. This, I believe, fills the bill admirably. I read once where someone was doubting the understanding of “illiterate peasants”. However, Orthodoxy is not an intellectual exercise, as so much of heterodoxy is. Indeed, I would say that any one of these simple rankers depicted in this painting had a better grasp of the faith and what it entailed than so many contemporary sorts who are puffed up by their unguided reading. Ye must become as a little child… now, THAT is the Orthodox way!  

Pyotr Brazhanov. A Portrait of Admiral St Fyodor Ushakov. 1912

A Portrait of Admiral St Fyodor Ushakov (Pyotr Brazhanov, 1912)

Admiral St Fyodor Ushakov (1744-1817) was one of the most illustrious Russian naval commanders of all time. He was not only a daring fighting sea-dog, he was a competent administrator and a serious Orthodox Christian. The port facilities in Sevastopol and Kherson were originally built by him, and he worked on the establishment of the towns surrounding the naval bases. Admiral Ushakov never lost a battle, but, that is not why he was canonised. He took good care of his officers and sailors, and he ended his life in one of the monasteries of the Church (he never became a monk, but, he lived in a monastery and led a pious lay life).

He was canonised in 2000, and is the patron saint of the navy and of the Dalnaya Aviatsiya (“Long-range Aviation”, the strategic bomber force).

Aleksandr Ustinovich. White Guard. undated (1990s?)

White Guard (Aleksandr Ustinovich, undated (1990s?))

The “White Guards” were those who resisted the Reds during the Civil War of 1918-20. All of these objects were connected with the White Army, a subject that is being investigated with great vigour in contemporary Russia. Of course, any talk of such during the Soviet time was strictly verboten, and one could find out what the desert of Kazakhstan or the frozen waste of Norilsk was like first-hand if one was too inquisitive on the matter. Think of an American PC college professor on steroids, that’s what the Reds were like (if all things are equal, when the PC crowd falls, boy-oh-boy, I want to be around for the post-mortem).

In short, Russians are rediscovering their past. This is healthy. This painting is part of that rediscovery.

Sergei Prisekin. The Battle of Kulikovo. 1994

The Battle of Kulikovo (Sergei Prisekin, 1994)

The Battle of the Field of Kulikovo is one of the turning points in Russian history. Although it occurred in 1380, the date of its anniversary is still marked with great ceremony today, it is very much alive in the consciousness of the Russian people. Grand Prince St Dmitri Donskoi led the Russian host to victory over the Tatars, and it marked the beginning of the expansion of the Russian state to the east and south. Before departing for the field of battle, St Dmitri received a blessing from St Sergei of Radonezh, who founded one of the most famous Russian monasteries, the St Sergius-Holy Trinity Lavra in Sergeyev Posad, which remains one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations in all of Russia. One of the leading heroes of the battle was Prince Dmitri Bobrok of Volyn, who led the charge of the Volynian vityazi (Russian knights) that broke the Tartar line.

Tatiana Bogonina-Vlasova. A Portrait of a Cossack. 1973

A Portrait of a Cossack (Tatiana Bogonina-Vlasova, 1973)

Ivan Makarov. A Portrait of General N. G. Kazankov. 1861

A Portrait of General N. G. Kazankov (Ivan Makarov, 1861)

Ivan Makarov. A Portrait of Major General E. P. Samsonov. 1869

A Portrait of Major General E. P. Samsonov (Ivan Makarov, 1869)

Konstantin Filippov. Cossacks on the March. 1851

Cossacks on the March (Konstantin Filippov, 1851)

Konstantin Vasiliev. Napoleon. 1967

Napoleon (Konstantin Vasiliev, 1967)

Konstantin Vasiliev. A Portrait of Marshal Georgi Zhukov. 1968

A Portrait of Marshal Georgi Zhukov (Konstantin Vasiliev, 1968)