In 1769, Losenko returned to Petersburg, where he was asked to paint a picture for the title of academician of historical painting. The artist creates a work on a theme from Russian history – “Vladimir and Rogneda.”
According to the ancient chronicles, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod asked for the hand of the daughter of Prince Rogvold of Polotsk, but, having been refused, attacked Polotsk, killed his father and Rogneda brothers and forcibly took her as his wife. The picture shows the climax of Rogneda’s “predestined fate”, when Vladimir invaded her chambers and was “combined with bondage” with her. About dnako Losenko portrayed Vladimir not as a perfidious conqueror, but as a man who repented of his actions – this expressed the high ideals of morality and humanism of the Enlightenment century.
The content was also new: the national past became the plot of the historical picture, equating to the generally accepted ancient and biblical scenes according to the status of the hierarchy of the genre. The success of the picture brought to its creator not only the title of academician, but also the appointment of an adjunct professor.
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