what are your THOUGHTS on THIS pose

Ilya Repin’s *Grand Duchess Sofia at the Novodevichy Convent* (1879) captures the dramatic downfall of Tsarevna Sofia Alekseyevna, once a powerful regent of Russia. Described by contemporaries as “terribly fat” with “a head the size of a pot,” she was also recognized for her intelligence and political skill. The painting depicts her in a dimly lit convent cell after her failed attempt to retain power against her half-brother, Peter the Great. Outside the window, the bodies of executed Streltsy soldiers—her loyal supporters—hang as a grim reminder of her defeat. Repin’s work reflects both her personal humiliation and the ruthless political shifts of 17th-century Russia, highlighting her brief yet bold assertion of female power in an era when women were expected to remain in the shadows.