Yaroslav the Wise

In the picture, the Kiev prince is depicted compiling a scroll in the interior of the chambers. Nearby is an open book. In the arched doorway in the golden glow of the rising sun there is the white-stone Cathedral of St. Sophia with majestic domes and steep zakomaras. The golden-lilac colors of the landscape receive a concentrated expression in Yaroslav's clothes and figure. The pictorial system of the canvas uses the techniques of icon painting and monumental art. Close-up, flatness, decorativeness give the depicted an epic character, turning the image of the Grand Duke into an artistic symbol.
Warrior of Beauty - N. Roerich sees in Yaroslav the Wise an intelligent, far-sighted politician, capable of subtly feeling beauty and bringing it into the surrounding life. “Yaroslav's delight at the sight of the brilliant Sofia ... is the admiration of a cultured person who sensed a monument valuable for many centuries,” the artist wrote.