Ivan the Terrible

myminifactory

M.M. Antokolsky was captivated by the pivotal era of the 16th century. In the artist's mind, it was closely tied to the enigmatic figure of Ivan the Terrible. While crafting this sculpture, the artist immersed himself in historical literature and meticulously studied documentation from that time period, making deliberate trips to Moscow to "absorb the ancient atmosphere of the first capital". He visited the Armoury in the Moscow Kremlin to examine and replicate the reliefs on Ivan the Terrible's original throne, even borrowing the Tsar's attire from the costume collection at the Bolshoi Theatre. However, he could only recreate the character's appearance, personality, and psychological state in his imagination. This sculpture lacks the familiar elements typically present in a representative portrait: the pose, grandeur, and official quality of an event. Ivan the Terrible is portrayed consumed by dark thoughts. Every detail transports us into the turbulent inner world of the Tsar: his opulent throne, a symbol of imperial majesty, the list of the dead and sick to be prayed for, the image of anguished repentance, his monk's robe, a sign of humility, concealing unbridled violent passions. The ambiguity in the Tsar's image becomes evident upon examination from different vantage points. From the right, a king is visible in a state of profound spiritual and physical exhaustion: his elbow listlessly falls off the throne arm, his hand devoid of will clasps the rosary. From the left, the image's supreme power is visible. This is contained in the Tsar's eagle profile, his fingers contorted like a predator's claws grasping the throne's arm; the clear vertical rhythm in the folds of his robes emphasizes the energy and the Tsar's formidable will. The tormenting ambiguity and the mental illness ravaging this enormous character create a tragic and horrific image of the despot. A sensation of restrained, concealed motion is enhanced by the uneven rhythm of light as it glides along the surface and falls into the deep folds. Like all Antokolsky's early work, the sculpture reveals the beginning of a narrative, yet there is an evident desire to transcend superfluous details and illustration to achieve greater psychological expression and plastic conceptualization in the image.