“The death of Pelopidas”: memoria-history-poetics

The article deals with the history of creation and features of artistic and plastic interpretation of the work created by the historical painter, Professor of the Imperial Academy of Art Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov. The author raises the question of the origins of the idea, the literary basis of the plot, and the specifiсs of artistic solution. Accepted opinion on the dedication of the painting to the memory of I. Pnin and the associated dating of the canvas are questioned based on the analysis of the semantic content of the episode chosen by the artist and stylistic peculiarities of the painting.