Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy

"Morning of the Execution of the Streltsy" (1881) is Surikov's first major historical canvas and one of the most powerful paintings in Russian art. It depicts the morning of September 30, 1698, when Peter the Great oversaw the execution of the Streltsy — the traditional military corps that had rebelled while Peter was travelling in Europe. Peter returned in fury, conducted personal interrogations under torture, and presided over executions that continued for months, destroying the old military order and demonstrating the absolute nature of his power. Surikov shows the moment before the executions begin: the condemned men are led to the gallows in Red Square, which is packed with a crowd of thousands. Peter sits on horseback in the background. The painting's power comes from the faces Surikov gives the condemned — each a distinct individual, facing death differently. The work established Surikov as the foremost painter of Russian historical subjects and is held at the Tretyakov Gallery.

The composition organizes an enormous crowd across a large canvas, with St. Basil's Cathedral providing the iconic architectural backdrop. Surikov focuses the composition on the confrontation between a condemned man's defiant, candle-carrying gaze and the distant figure of Peter — a face-off across the crowd that concentrates the scene's historical meaning. The handling of the crowd is extraordinary in its individual specificity.