“Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581”
is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1883 and 1885.
It depicts the grief-stricken Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, shortly after Ivan the Terrible had dealt a fatal blow to his son’s head in a fit of anger.
The painting portrays the anguish and remorse on the face of the elder Ivan and the shock and heartbreak of the dying Tsarevich.
It is one of Russia’s most famous and controversial paintings, and is truly iconic.
A.G. Munson
