The Soul of Imperial Russia: The Life and Legacy of Fyodor Rokotov In the grand, sweeping tapestry of eighteenth-century Russian art, where many painters sought to capture the sheer opulence of the Romanov era through gilded frames and theatrical grandeur, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov emerged as a singular, introspective voice. Born into the humble circumstances of peasant serfdom within the Repnin estate, Rokotov’s ascent from the shad…