It's both. [ and then, stepping back a bit, hands behind him. ] The story goes that Ivan the Terrible, the then Tsar of Russia, got into an argument of some kind with his son, and in a fit of rage, struck him across the head with his staff. His son eventually succumbed to the injury, supposedly. There's not a lot of detail about what they were fighting over, or why, but how Ivan the Terrible felt about it is pretty clear in the image, at least.
[ fei du glances up - at the face of the father in particular, and then down to the son, staying there for a reflective moment. ]
Whether it's true or not, it was an allegory for power struggles in Russia, if I remember correctly. It's not really my area of expertise.
Edited (me weighing my hands like how much knowledge does my blorbo have about this, not me) 2023-06-20 17:17 (UTC)
[ he's an active listener, at least, even if the subject isn't the greatest. he finds himself following along and even if his expression doesn't change his eyes narrow a little as he continues to look at the painting. ]
Well if it's not yours, it's definitely not mine. [ heh. ] ...you think he actually felt guilty about it if power was that important to them?
That's a good question. Honestly, I'm not sure. The painting was done long after his reign, and hindsight is always 20/20. If I remember correctly, they were conflating it with the assassination of a different Tsar - pointing out that the royal family were cruel and violent.
[ which got them super dead. ]
That's the thing about people in power, though. Sometimes, they don't know when 'too far' is - sometimes there's no too far at all.
[ hm. his expression sharpens a little, there, into a frown, and fei du shakes his head. ] ...Anyway. What it is is very depressing.
You know, I'm kind of glad nobody ever would pay that much attention to what me and my family are doing if it would've been scrutinized like that. [ it's an idle comment and it might not even necessarily be true, but it's like "damn, being royalty sounds shitty but also like that's part of the job." ]
I think you could say the same about people, period, though. [ ...but anyway, he looks away from the painting. ] Everything else about this place is depressing, so it sort of fits right in.
You'd be surprised how little people really do pay attention.
[ an idle comment of his own; fei du looks at the painting for a longer moment, and then looks away. ] It's not all depressing. Let's see if we can find a strange exhibit to look at, hm? I'm sure there's got to be something. Modern art is always odd: once I saw an exhibit that was just a shark suspended in a glass tank.
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Truthfully? I think it's kind of a little messed up. Or maybe just a little sad.
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It's both. [ and then, stepping back a bit, hands behind him. ] The story goes that Ivan the Terrible, the then Tsar of Russia, got into an argument of some kind with his son, and in a fit of rage, struck him across the head with his staff. His son eventually succumbed to the injury, supposedly. There's not a lot of detail about what they were fighting over, or why, but how Ivan the Terrible felt about it is pretty clear in the image, at least.
[ fei du glances up - at the face of the father in particular, and then down to the son, staying there for a reflective moment. ]
Whether it's true or not, it was an allegory for power struggles in Russia, if I remember correctly. It's not really my area of expertise.
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Well if it's not yours, it's definitely not mine. [ heh. ] ...you think he actually felt guilty about it if power was that important to them?
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[ which got them super dead. ]
That's the thing about people in power, though. Sometimes, they don't know when 'too far' is - sometimes there's no too far at all.
[ hm. his expression sharpens a little, there, into a frown, and fei du shakes his head. ] ...Anyway. What it is is very depressing.
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I think you could say the same about people, period, though. [ ...but anyway, he looks away from the painting. ] Everything else about this place is depressing, so it sort of fits right in.
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You'd be surprised how little people really do pay attention.
[ an idle comment of his own; fei du looks at the painting for a longer moment, and then looks away. ] It's not all depressing. Let's see if we can find a strange exhibit to look at, hm? I'm sure there's got to be something. Modern art is always odd: once I saw an exhibit that was just a shark suspended in a glass tank.
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Wait like...wouldn't that just be an aquarium? I mean I get it, sharks are kind of interesting, but...seems a little weird to call it art.