The nineteenth picture. I don't know about anyone, but I see this painting as an old familiar view into places in history. I felt a strange tension that is not quite so easy to describe. It was the feeling of standing in the middle of something that one is part of and that the times depicted are recent. You are in the middle of a moment that transcends the everyday. It is in moments like these that I realize the power of the human spirit, human energy and human thought when combined with faith and determination. From the first few minutes, I sensed an atmosphere that was almost celebratory and yet so ordinary and peaceful. It was not just a formal celebration, but a true expression of human belonging by an ordinary person to whom the future is opening up and warmed by the sun's rays. People did not act as an anonymous crowd, but in a very concrete way, expressions of people who came to share a common experience, a common energy and above all a common hope. And it is that hope, energy and faith that is there that infuses the whole moment with extraordinary power.
In front of this monumental painting measuring 8.10 x 6.10 you will feel the weight of history. It is a profound testimony to a quite pivotal moment in Russian history. The painting captures the moment when the 1861 edict abolishing serfdom was announced to the Russian people, an event that marked the end of centuries of cruel social order. At first glance, the composition may seem like a mere historical gathering in Red Square. The longer you look at the painting, however, the more you recognize in it the dramatic depth of human fate underneath the powerful emotion. The figures are not depicted in triumph, as we might expect when freedom is announced. On the contrary. In their faces at first there is a mixture of wonder, uncertainty, fear and cautious hope, so typical of Russia. It is this psychological level that makes the image of Russia particularly powerful.
The symbolism here is extremely expressive. The dominant silhouette of the spiritual symbol on Red Square, namely the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, thus appears in the background not only as an architectural detail. It acts as the vertical axis of the entire composition, as a silent and powerful witness to Russian history. Its colourful towers symbolically recall the spiritual dimension of Russian civilisation, such as tradition, faith and continuity that transcends individual political epochs. The contrast between the majestic temple and the people in the square also highlights the deep social contradictions of the society of the time. The figures of the peasants are depicted in heavy, plain clothes, their posture often looking uncertain and hesitant. In contrast, representatives of the power or urban classes appear more calm and confident. This visual contrast is not accidental; it symbolizes the very real gulf that has existed for centuries between the rulers and the ruled.
Some of the people in the painting look towards the place from where the edict is announced, others look at the ground or into space, as if trying to understand what this new freedom actually means for them. Freedom is not depicted here as an immediate liberation, but as a historical threshold and a moment when the old world has ended but the new is not yet fully understood. This is where the spiritual power of not only this image but also the image of Russia itself lies. It shows that history is not just a series of political decisions, but above all a drama of human destinies. Freedom may come suddenly, but its understanding and fulfillment requires time, courage and social transformation. I see in it a literal, profound meditation on human dignity, on the transition from subservience to responsibility for one's own destiny because every ordinary person wants to have real free choice. The monumental size of the canvas further enhances two feelings, firstly the sheer size of the moment and secondly the size of the land where the sun never sets. Moreover, we are looking at a moment that belongs not only to Russia but to the whole of European history. The image thus acts as a silent but powerful reminder that every society has to go through its own journey towards freedom - and that this journey is always accompanied by both hopes and fears.
Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-Chief, General News
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