[6] Following his return from a long pensioner's trip in 1769, the Imperial Academy of Arts invited Losenko to submit a painting on a theme related to Vladimir and Rogneda in order to be considered for the title of academician.

"[12] Art historian Avraam Kaganovich wrote that, "for its vivid psychological composition of characters, Losenko's 'Vladimir before Rogneda' became the first piece in the series of Russian historical genre works.

"[13] According to art historian Nonna Yakovleva, Losenko's canvas was "'destined' for both success and criticism": on one hand, it was a long-anticipated work on a Russian historical theme; on the other, various elements within it raised doubts—particularly the lack of pathos in the main character and the "denseness and flatness of the composition," which conflicted with academic principles.

Losenko's mentors included French painters Louis-Joseph Le Lorrain, Jean-Louis de Velly, and Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, all invited to Russia by Ivan Shuvalov, the Academy’s curator.

Additionally, the exhibition included the works of Dmitry Levitzky, Ivan Belsky, Nicolas Delapierre and Georg Christoph Grooth,[9] comprising approximately twenty paintings.

[9] For his painting Vladimir and Rogneda, the Academy of Arts Council, in a unanimous decree on June 28, 1770,[Note 1] awarded Losenko the title of academician.

[29] In his poem To the Deceased Professor and Director of the Academy of Arts Anton Pavlovich Losenko, intended as an epitaph,[30] poet Vasily Maykov wrote, “Rogneda, depicted by you on canvas / With Vladimir, in her wretched fate, / Seems not as much stricken by her father’s death / As she sighs for you!”[31][32] The wide renown of Vladimir and Rogneda is evidenced by the creation of a full-size tapestry based on Losenko’s painting at the St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory in the late 18th century.

[5] After the death of Prince Sviatoslav Igorevich in 972,[37] his territories were divided among his three sons: Yaropolk, the eldest, took control of Kyiv; Oleg governed the land of the Drevlians; and Vladimir went to Novgorod.

[5] Fearing his elder brother’s military actions, Vladimir fled to Scandinavia, leaving Novgorod, which was soon occupied by Yaropolk, who appointed his own posadniks there.

By around 978, Vladimir returned with a retinue of Varangians recruited in Scandinavia, expelled Yaropolk’s officials from Novgorod, and declared that he intended to go to war against his brother.

[39] Based on the theme proposed by the Academy of Arts Council, Losenko developed a detailed "Explanation," outlining his choices for the plot and composition of his painting.

"[49][50] Art historian Avraam Kaganovich, comparing Vladimir as depicted by Losenko with a portrait of Dmitrevsky in the role of Starodum in the comedy The Minor (created no earlier than 1782), observed that, despite a twelve-year gap or more, they are strikingly similar — "it is the same face: a distinctive elongated eye shape, characteristic nose and chin pattern, slightly puffy upper eyelids.

[50] Unlike the active Novgorod prince, the pale and tear-stained Rogneda, who is "in a semi-fainting state", is "a passive heroine, as if 'of the secondary role', ceding the first 'leading part' to Vladimir".

[42] In his Explanation, Losenko described her as follows: "Rogneda is portrayed in traditional ancient royal attire, seated in despair, gazing upward, with her right hand resting on a small table, and her left arm extended toward Vladimir as if dismissing him with disdain.

[50] In 1864, the writer Pyotr Petrov claimed that Ivan Dmitrevsky might have posed for Losenko as the image of Rogneda as well;[51] however, Kaganovich considered such "speculations" to be unfounded.

Art historian Alexey Savinov noted that Losenko "characterized [the figures of the warriors] in their calmness, corporeality, and physical strength, which allows for a clearer perception of the greater complexity and spirituality of the main images.

The image of the maid intrigued Empress Catherine II, who noted this in a letter dated August 18, 1770, to the sculptor Étienne Maurice Falconet: "I am very pleased to hear that you are satisfied with Losenko, do tell me someday a word about his painting written for receiving the title of academician.

"[55]A significant challenge in creating the painting was the lack of reliable historical sources to reference for the main characters' costumes, leaving the artist with only fragmented and incidental information.

[44] Losenko likely had to rely on theatrical props, which might have inspired Vladimir’s headpiece—a “an incredible mixture of a crown with prongs, a hat trimmed with ermine, and even ostrich feathers.”[56] Art historian Alla Vereshchagina observed that Vladimir’s shirt and boots, along with Rogneda’s dress, “bear some resemblance (though imprecise) to old Russian attire from the pre-Petrine period,” while the warriors’ clothing and the kneeling servant’s outfit “align closely with peasant dress.”[57] In justifying the inaccuracy of the costumes, Losenko wrote: “I, knowing what is beneficial or harmful for painting, preferred the natural to the ideal.

[59] The first is a sketch in a horizontally elongated format, stored at the Research Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts[60] (paper, pencil, chalk, 18.0 × 24.0 cm, inventory R-763).

[71] In his 1864 biographical essay on Losenko, writer and historiographer of Russian art Pyotr Petrov noted that Vladimir and Rogneda can't be considered the artist’s best work, as this painting "celebrated by contemporaries" suffers from numerous anachronisms.

According to Petrov, when viewing Losenko’s painting, the viewer cannot help but smile at "seeing Vladimir in a fantastical outfit, and Rogneda with an expression [that is] not passionionate, but cloyingly coy," though this very quality was what appealed to the artist’s contemporaries.

[51] In a 1914 review article on Losenko's work, art historian Sergey Ernst, while noting the shortcomings of Vladimir and Rogneda, wrote that none of the artist’s other paintings displayed “such a pronounced pose of theatricality as this one.” He found the painting itself to be “painfully reminiscent of an illustration from some sentimental scene in an 18th-century historical tragedy.” According to Ernst, “the only sound element in the entire group” are the “simply and attentively drawn” heads of the two warriors, which recall peasant depictions created in the 19th century by Alexey Venetsianov and later by some of the Peredvizhniki.

"[60] Kaganovich noted that the pronounced psychological depth of Losenko's characters aligns his work with that of leading Russian portrait painters of the 18th century.