What is going on in this painting by Grigory Ugryumov?

On August 30, 1790, all of St. Petersburg gathered at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery: the new Trinity Cathedral was being consecrated in the presence of Catherine II. The empress spared no expense: The cathedral was adorned with a white-marble iconostasis and a silver chandelier weighing over 200 kilograms. She also donated paintings by Western artists from her own collection. Icons and religious paintings for the cathedral were commissioned from Russian artists, as well. Among them was Grigory Ugryumov.

The son of a merchant from Yaroslavl, Ugryumov graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1785 and spent four years in Rome on a study trip. Upon his return, the then 26-year-old Ugryumov became a teacher of historical painting at the Academy and embarked on his most ambitious project yet – a painting depicting an episode from the life of Saint Prince Alexander Nevsky. The work took three years to complete.

Rather than the bloodshed of battle, he chose to depict the moment when the victorious commander arrived in the liberated city. In 1240, knights of the Livonian Order seized Novgorodian lands and Izborsk and laid siege to Pskov. They managed to capture the impregnable local fortress through trickery: the boyars, who wanted the city to gain independence from Novgorod, opened the gates to the invaders. But soon, the people of Pskov began asking for help from Prince Alexander Yaroslavich of Pereyaslavl. And he came – not only with his own retinue, but also bringing with him the Vladimir-Suzdal militia and Novgorodian troops. And, in Winter 1242, Pskov was liberated. A few months later, on April 5, Alexander Nevsky defeated the Livonians on Lake Peipus. Victorious in the ‘Battle on the Ice’, he drove the crusaders out.

The painting ‘The solemn entry of Alexander Nevsky into the city of Pskov after his victory over the Germans’ is monumental in scale – two by three meters. Beneath the walls of the Pskov Kremlin, Nevsky is greeted by monks, townspeople and boyars. The triumphal procession is led by the victorious prince on a white horse, dressed in magnificent attire: red saffian leather boots, a gold caftan embroidered with precious stones and a cloak trimmed with valuable fur. It’s impossible to take one’s eyes off him. According to a legend, the artist gave him the features of Catherine II’s beloved grandson, the future Alexander I.

To the right of the triumphant prince are two prisoners in full suits of knightly armor – Livonian captives. Behind the prince stretches a sea of people: among them are peasant militiamen and warriors from Nevsky’s retinue, carrying military banners.

Thanks to this work, Ugryumov became renowned as a master of historical painting. Poet and trustee of Moscow University Mikhail Muravyov described him as a painter “filled with love for the fatherland” and believed that “he is worthy of immortalizing the glory of Russian heroes”. The artist’s style proved to be a perfect fit for the Russian court: he received commissions not only from Catherine II, but also from her son, Paul I, and her grandson, Alexander I.