Why 'The Unequal Wedding' is termed as one of the saddest wedding portraits in history

Wedding ceremonies are seen as one of the happiest days for the couple and the family. The rituals, the love, the celebration, the positive vibes, and of course, the promise of being together forever. People eat, drink, meet their loved ones, and participate in rituals, and so much more. And then every wedding painting and portrait we see are filled with love and energy. Beautiful flowers, well well-dressed bride and groom, the decorated halls, and much more.
But between it all, there is a wedding portrait that exudes sadness, loss, and despair. We are talking about ‘Unequal Wedding’ by Vasily Pukirev, and it is undoubtedly one of the saddest wedding portraits in art history.

‘Unequal Wedding’ was painted in 1862 by Vasily Pukirev and it became famous shortly after. It is a realistic style painting that shows a wedding scene inside a church, and the church is also full with people. And in the first glance it looks like just another wedding portrait with the bride, groom, relatives, and more, but when you look closer, you see the little details that hint at sadness and despair.
Even the background shades are dark and cold, as compared to the bright details of happy wedding paintings that people usually draw or see.

When you get closer to the painting, you see the little details that show why the painting is termed as ‘sad’. It shows an old man as the groom, possibly a rich official, getting married to a much younger woman who looks sad, rather pale, and tense about the union. The groom on the other hand, the old man, looks rather proud of himself as is evident with his posture.
The other people in the church stand silently behind them, but one of the men is staring at the bride with deep sadness, and he is believed to be the artist himself, who was probably in love with the girl.

Many people now debate that the girl was forced to get married to the old man, and with the clear difference in age and behaviour between the two, they might be right. The old man looks wealthy and confident, while the young bride seems helpless and unwilling, with the flower in hand, facing down, her flowers on her headband not in full bloom, and her eyes red because of the crying.
And the girl does not look like she is a part of the celebration, but rather is just forced into being a part of it.

One of the main reasons this painting is so powerful is that it tells a painful story without using any words. And we get a sense of every feeling and emotion just with the expressions and the subtle details. The atmosphere, the ghost-like figures, the side eyes, the unbloomed flowers, the prideful old man, and the sad onlookers.
Even in the bride, the downcast eyes and clenched hands show nervousness and fear, and the people around them are not celebrating, but just looking at the union with indifference.

(Painting image from: academic_artworks/Instagram)