Viktor Vasnetsov (Russian painter) 1848 - 1926
(also written as Wiktor Michajlowitsch Wassnezow)
A Knight at the Crossroads, 1878
oil on canvas
167 x 308 cm.
The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine
At this first major work after returning from Paris Vasnetsov, you can see an episode from the tale Ivan the Tsar's Son and the Firebird. Tsar Ivan the Son to the orders of his father, Tsar Demian, looking for the Firebird. After a long tiring journey he comes to a crossroads and must make a difficult choice. On the stone is: he who will ride his horse right, will loose his horse. He who will ride his horse left, will lose his own life. And he who will ride his horse straight will lose both (or a variation of these three). The rune stone and the skeletal remains are an ominous warning, like the night sky with sunset.
Vasnetsov made another (similar painting, same title) in the same year, but it has some slight differences. That painting is hanging in The History and Art Museum, Serpukhov, Moscow Region.
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