Standing for Something

Historical Contextualization
Vasili Surikov, the creator of this masterpiece of Russian art, lived in the 19th century, about two centuries after this tragic incident. The painting depicts a poignant part of Russian history, the Raskol or schism of the Russian Orthodox Church.
After the conversion of Ancient Rus to Christianity by King Vladimir in 988 AD, the orthodox church in Russia underwent many changes which led to its splitting in 1667, the large majority following an influential priest named Nikon who had done all he could to reconcile the Russian Orthodox church with the ancient Greek writings on which they had based their religion. A fair number of people, however, found it difficult to just throw away their old way of believing; thus they are called the Old Believers. The new reformed church considered such people heretics and persecuted and killed thousands of them. In this depiction, a famous Old Believer, Feodosia Morozova, is being carted to a dungeon where she would spend about 4 long years and eventually starve to death. Here Feodosia is shown with her hand up, and two fingers in the air, the middle finger bent slightly to match the length of the index finger, showing the way the Old Believers cross themselves, in contrast to how the reformers started to cross themselves, with three fingers –the thumb, index and middle fingers brought together. She is revered as a martyr and still serves as a symbol of bravery and loyalty for Old Believers today.
It is important to note the Feodosia Morozova was a fairly important figure in society before her dreadful incarceration and agonizing death. She was born in a family that held the high rank of Okolnichy, meaning they were close the Tzar. She married into a rich and influential family; her husband’s brother was the Tzar’s own personal tutor. She held a high position in the Russian court all her life until she aggressively upheld her religious beliefs and suffered and died as a result.