Ilya Repin
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Ilya Yefimovich Repin (russian: Илья Ефимович Репин, translit=Il'ya Yefimovich Repin, p=ˈrʲepʲɪn); fi, Ilja Jefimovitš Repin ( – 29 September 1930) was a Russian painter, born in what is now Ukraine. He became one of the most renowned artists in Russia during the 19th century. His major works include ''
Barge Haulers on the Volga ''Barge Haulers on the Volga'' or '' Burlaki'' (russian: Бурлаки на Волге, ''Burlaki na Volge'') is an 1870–1873 oil-on-canvas painting by artist Ilya Repin. It depicts 11 men physically dragging a barge on the banks of the Volg ...
'' (1873), '' Religious Procession in Kursk Province'' (1880–1883), ''
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan ''Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581'' is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1883 and 1885. It depicts the grief-stricken Tsar of Russia Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Iv ...
'' (1885); and ''
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks ''Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks'' is a painting by Ilya Repin. It is also known as ''Cossacks of Saporog Are Drafting a Manifesto'' and in Russian, (russian: Запорожцы пишут письмо турецкому султану, Zap ...
'' (1880–1891). He is also known for the revealing portraits he made of the leading literary and artistic figures of his time, including Mikhail Glinka,
Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
,
Pavel Tretyakov Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (russian: Па́вел Миха́йлович Третьяко́в; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Ga ...
and especially
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
, with whom he had a long friendship. Repin was born in
Chuguyev Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of U ...
, in
Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fro ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
. His father had served in an Uhlan Regiment in the Russian army, and then sold horses. Repin began painting icons at age sixteen. He failed at his first effort to enter the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg, but went to the city anyway, audited courses, and won his first prizes in 1869 and 1871. In 1872, after a tour along the Volga River, he presented his drawings at the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg. The Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich awarded him a commission for a large scale painting, ''The Barge Haulers of the Volga'', which launched his career. He spent two years in Paris and Normandy, seeing the first
Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
expositions and learning the techniques of painting in the open air.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p. 15 (in French) He suffered one setback in 1885 when his history portrait of Ivan the Terrible killing his own son in a rage caused a scandal, resulting in the painting being removed from exhibition. But this was followed by a series of major successes and new commissions. In 1898, with his second wife, he purchased a country house, The Penates, in Kuokkala, Finland (now
Repino, Saint Petersburg Repino (russian: Ре́пино) is an area of Saint Petersburg, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with ...
), close to St. Petersburg, where they entertained Russian society. In 1905, following the violent repression of street demonstrations by the Tsarist government, he quit his teaching position at the Academy of Fine Arts. He welcomed the February Revolution in 1917, but was appalled by the violence and warfare that followed in the
October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
. Finland broke away from Russia in 1917, and Repin was unable to travel to St. Petersburg, even for an exhibition of his own works in 1925. Repin died on 29 September 1930, at the age of 86, and was buried at the Penates. His home is now a museum and a UNESCO
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p 15-17 (in French)


Biography


Early life and work

File:Repin studying exam.jpg, Students studying for an exam at the Academy of the Arts (1864) (State Russian Museum) Repin was born on 24 July 1844 in the town of
Chuguyev Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of U ...
, in the
Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fro ...
of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, in the heart of the historical region of
Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine (literally: Borderland of free frontier guards; uk, Слобідська Україна, Slobidska Ukraina), or Slobozhanshchyna ( uk, Слобожанщина, Slobozhanshchyna, ), is a historical region, now located in Northeas ...
. His father, Yefim Vasilyevich Repin (1804—1894) served in an Uhlan Regiment of the
Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
. He fought in the
Russo-Persian War (1826–1828) The Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 was the last major military conflict between the Russian Empire and Persia. After the Treaty of Gulistan that concluded the previous Russo-Persian War in 1813, peace reigned in the Caucasus for thirteen ...
, the
Russo-Turkish War (1828–29) The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
and the Hungarian campaign (1849). When his father retired from the army, after twenty-seven years of service, he became an itinerant merchant selling horses. Repin's mother, Tatiana Stepanovna Repina (née Bocharova) (1811—1880), was also the daughter of a soldier. She had family ties to noblemen and officers; the Repins had six children and were moderately well-off. In 1855, at the age of eleven, he was enrolled at the local school where his mother taught.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p. 14 (in French) He showed a talent for drawing and painting, and when he was thirteen, his father enrolled him in the workshop of Ivan Bunakov, an
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
painter. He restored old icons and painted portraits of local notables. At the age of sixteen, his skill was recognized, and he became a member of an artel, or cooperative of artists, the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, which traveled around
Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the ...
province to paint icons and wall paintings.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Pommerau, Claude (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p. 14 (in French) Repin had much higher ambitions. In October 1863 he competed for admission to the
Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the T ...
in the capital,
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He failed in his first attempt, but persevered, rented a small room in the city, and took courses in academic drawing. In January 1864 he succeeded and was allowed, without fee, to attend classes. At the academy he met the painter
Ivan Kramskoi Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoi (russian: Ива́н Никола́евич Крамско́й; June 8 (O.S. May 27), 1837, Ostrogozhsk – April 6 (O.S. March 24), 1887, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian painter and art critic. He was an intellectual ...
, who became his professor and mentor. When Kramskoi founded the first independent union of Russian artists, Repin became a member. In 1869 he was awarded a gold medal second-class for his painting ''Job and His Brothers''. He met the influential critic
Vladimir Stasov Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (also Stassov; rus, Влади́мир Васи́льевич Ста́сов; 14 January Adoption_of_the_Gregorian_calendar#Adoption_in_Eastern_Europe.html" ;"title="/nowiki> O.S._2_January.html" ;"title="Adoption of ...
and painted a portrait of Vera Shevtsova, his own future wife.


First success

File:1870Репин15.jpg, Early sketch for ''Barge Haulers on the Volga'' (1870) File:Ilia Efimovich Repin (1844-1930) - Volga Boatmen (1870-1873).jpg, ''
Barge Haulers on the Volga ''Barge Haulers on the Volga'' or '' Burlaki'' (russian: Бурлаки на Волге, ''Burlaki na Volge'') is an 1870–1873 oil-on-canvas painting by artist Ilya Repin. It depicts 11 men physically dragging a barge on the banks of the Volg ...
'' (1870–1873);
Russian Museum The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...
, Saint Petersburg File:1873Шторм на Волге.JPG, Early study, ''Storm on the Volga'' (1873) (State Russian Museum) File:Ilja Jefimowitsch Repin 013.jpg, ''Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus'' (1874)
In 1870, with two other artists, Repin traveled to the
Volga River The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
to sketch landscapes and studies of barge haulers (The
Repin House The Repin House is a historical monument in the Russian city of Tolyatti. It commemorates of a brief stay there by the great Russian painter Ilya Repin in 1870. Repin's stay In the summer of 1870 the young artist Ilya Repin, then 25 and early ...
in
Tolyatti Tolyatti ( rus, Толья́тти, p=tɐlʲˈjætʲ(ː)ɪ), also known as Togliatti, formerly known as Stavropol (1737–1964), is a city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which does not serve as the administrative center ...
and the Repin Museum on the Volga commemorate this visit). When he returned to Saint Petersburg, the quality of his Volga boatmen drawings won him a commission from
Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia (russian: Влади́мир Александрович; 22 April 1847 – 17 February 1909) was a son of Emperor Alexander II of Russia, a brother of Emperor Alexander III of Russia and the senior Gr ...
for a large scale painting on the subject. The painting, ''
Barge Haulers on the Volga ''Barge Haulers on the Volga'' or '' Burlaki'' (russian: Бурлаки на Волге, ''Burlaki na Volge'') is an 1870–1873 oil-on-canvas painting by artist Ilya Repin. It depicts 11 men physically dragging a barge on the banks of the Volg ...
'' was completed in 1873. The following year he was awarded a gold medal first-class for his painting ''The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus'' In May 1872 he married Vera Alexeievna Shevtsova. (1855-1917). She joined him on his travels, including a trip to Samara, where their first child, Vera, was born. They had three other children; Nadia, Yuri, and Tatyana. The marriage was difficult, as Repin had numerous affairs, while Vera cared for the children. They were married for fifteen years. In an 1872 letter to Stasov, Repin wrote: "Now it is the peasant who is the judge and so it is necessary to represent his interests. (That is just the thing for me, since I am myself, as you know, a peasant, the son of a retired soldier who served twenty-seven hard years in Nicholas I's army.)" In 1873 Repin traveled to Italy and France with his family. His second daughter, Nadezhda, was born in 1874.


Paris and Normandy

File:Ilya-Y.-Repin-A-Novelties-Seller-in-Paris.jpg, ''A novelty seller in Paris'' (1873) (Tretyakov Gallery) File:Parisian Cafe by Repin.jpg, ''A Paris cafe'' (1875), (Museum of Avant-Garde Art, Moscow) File:Ilya Repin - Sadko - Google Art Project levels adjustment 2.jpg, ''
Sadko Sadko (russian: Садко) is the principal character in a Russian medieval epic '' bylina''. He was an adventurer, merchant, and '' gusli'' musician from Novgorod. Textual notes "Sadko" is a version of the tale translated by Arthur Ransome ...
'' (1876), Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Repin's painting ''Barge Haulers of the Volga'', shown at the Vienna International Exposition, brought him his first International attention. It also earned him a grant from the Academy of Fine Arts which allowed him to make an extended tour of several months to Austria, then Italy, and finally in 1873, to Paris. He rented an apartment in
Montmartre Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
at 13 rue Veron, and a small attic studio under a mansard roof at number 31 on the same street.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021 (in French), p. 34 He remained in Paris for two years. He described his subjects as "the principal types of Parisians, in the most typical settings." He painted the street markets and boulevards of Paris, and especially the varied faces and costumes of the Parisians of every class. His major Russian work created in Paris was ''
Sadko Sadko (russian: Садко) is the principal character in a Russian medieval epic '' bylina''. He was an adventurer, merchant, and '' gusli'' musician from Novgorod. Textual notes "Sadko" is a version of the tale translated by Arthur Ransome ...
'' (1876), a mystical allegory of an undersea kingdom, which included elements of Art Nouveau. He gave the young heroine a Russian face, surrounded by a strange and exotic setting. He wrote to his friend the civic Stasov: "This idea describes my present situation, and perhaps, the situation of all of our Russian art". In 1876, His Sadko painting won him a place in the Russian Academy of Fine Arts. He was in Paris in April 1874, when the first
Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...
exhibition was held. In 1875, he wrote to Stasov about "The liberty of the "impressionalists", Manet,
Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...
et the others, and their infantile truthfulness." In 1876 He painted a portrait of his wife Vera in the exact style of Berthe Morisot's portrait by
Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Born ...
. as a tribute to
Manet A wireless ad hoc network (WANET) or mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a decentralized type of wireless network. The network is ad hoc because it does not rely on a pre-existing infrastructure, such as routers in wired networks or access points ...
and
Morisot Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (; January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was a French painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. In 1864, Morisot exhibited for the first time in the highly es ...
. Though he admired some impressionist techniques, especially their depictions of light and color, he felt their work lacked moral or social purpose, key factors in his own art. Following the ideas of the Impressionists, he spent two months at
Veules-les-Roses Veules-les-Roses () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography Veules-les-Roses is a tourism and farming village situated on the coast of the English Channel in the Pays de Caux, some sout ...
in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, painting landscapes in the open air. In 1874–1876 he contributed to the Salon in Paris. In 1876 he wrote to the secretary of the Russian academy of arts: "You told me not to become "Francified." What are you saying? I dream only of returning to Russia and working seriously. But Paris was of great utility to me, it can't be denied."


Moscow and "The Wanderers" (1876–1885)

File:Procesión de Pascua en la región de Kursk, por Iliá Repin.jpg, '' Religious Procession in Kursk Province'' (1880–1883;
Tretyakov Gallery The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...
, Moscow) File:Ilya Repin - Крестный ход в Курской губернии - Google Art Project detail2.jpg, Detail of the Religious Procession in Kursk Province (1881–1883) File:Iván el Terrible y su hijo, por Iliá Repin.jpg, ''
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan ''Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581'' is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1883 and 1885. It depicts the grief-stricken Tsar of Russia Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Iv ...
'' Tretyakov Gallery (1885) File:Sophia Alekseyevna, by Ilya Repin.jpg, The Tsarevnya Sophia Alekseyevna, Tretyakov Gallery (1879) File:Ilya Repin Unexpected visitors.jpg, ''
They Did Not Expect Him ''They Did Not Expect Him'' is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1884 and 1888. It depicts the return of a narodnik from exile and his family's reaction. The painting is part of Repin's "Narodniki" series, which inclu ...
'', Tretyakov Gallery, (1884–1888)
Repin returned to Russia in 1876. His son Yury was born the following year. He moved to Moscow that year, and produced a wide variety of works including portraits of the painters
Arkhip Kuindzhi Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi (; rus, Архи́п Ива́нович Куи́нджи ; ; 27 January 1841 – 24 July 1910) was a Ukrainian landscape painter active in the Russian Empire, of Pontic Greek descent. Date of birth Kuindzhi's exact da ...
and
Ivan Shishkin Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (russian: Ива́н Ива́нович Ши́шкин; 25 January 1832 – 20 March 1898) was a Russian landscape painter closely associated with the Peredvizhniki movement. Biography Shishkin was born to a Russian m ...
. He became involved with the "Wanderers", an artistic movement founded in St. Petersburg in 1863. The style of the Wanderers was resolutely realistic, patriotic, and politically engaged, determined to break with classical models and to create a specifically Russian art.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, pp. 40–43 (in French). It involved not only painters, but sculptors, writers and composers. Repin created a series of major historical works, including the
Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate '' Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate'' (also known as ''Easter Procession in the District of Kursk'' or ''A Religious Procession in Kursk Gubernia) (Russian: ''Крестный ход в Курской губернии'') is a large oil ...
(1883), which was presented at the 12th annual exposition of the Wanderers. It was notable both for its extraordinary crowd of realistic figures, including surly policemen, weary monks, children and beggars, each expressing a vivid personality. He also experimented with outdoor sunlight effects, apparently influenced by the impressionists and his outdoor studies in France. His next major work of this period was
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan ''Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581'' is a painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin made between 1883 and 1885. It depicts the grief-stricken Tsar of Russia Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, the Tsarevich Iv ...
. This painting, depicting the tsar, his face full of horror, just after he has killed his son with his
sceptre A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The '' Was'' and other ...
in a demented rage. It caused a scandal. Some critics saw it as a veiled criticism of Tsar Alexander III, who had brutally suppressed the opposition after a failed assassination attempt. It was also attacked by the more aesthetic faction of the Wanderers, who considered it overly sensationalist. It was vandalised twice and was finally, at the tsar's request, removed from view. The tsar reconsidered his decision, and the painting was finally put back on view. The portrait of the Tsarevna
Sophia Alekseyevna Sophia Alekseyevna ( rus, Со́фья Алексе́евна, p=ˈsofʲjə ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvnə; ) was a Russian princess who ruled as regent of Russia from 1682 to 1689. She allied herself with a singularly capable courtier and politician, Pri ...
is one of his most tragic historical works. It depicts The daughter of Tsar Alexis who became regent of Russia after the death of her father, but then was deposed from power in 1689 and locked away in a convent by her half-brother,
Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
. The painting captures her fury as she realises her future life. "They Did Not Expect Him". (1884-1888),(Tretyakov Gallery) is a notable and subtle historical work of the period, depicting a young man, a former "narodniki" or revolutionary, emaciated and frail from prison and exile, returning unexpectedly to his family. The story is told by the different expressions on the faces of his family and small details, such as the portraits of Tsar Alexander III and of favourite Russian poets on the wall.''Ilya Repin-Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p. 23 (in French)


Repin and Tolstoy

File:Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844-1930) - Portrait of Leo Tolstoy (1887).jpg, Portrait of Tolstoy (1887) File:Leo Tolstoy03.jpg, Tolstoy reading under a tree in the forest, Tretyakov Gallery Moscow, (1891) File:Leo Tolstoy02.jpg, Tolstoy writing at Yasnaya Polyana,
Pushkin House The Pushkin House (russian: Пушкинский дом, Pushkinsky Dom), formally the Institute of Russian Literature (), is a research institute in St. Petersburg. It is part of a network of institutions affiliated with the Russian Academy of ...
(1891) File:Ilya Repin - Leo Tolstoy Barefoot - Google Art Project.jpg, Tolstoy barefoot, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (1901) File:1908РепинТолстой.JPG, Portrait of Tolstoy shortly before his death (1908)
In 1880
Lev Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
came to Repin's small studio on Bolshoi Trubny street in Moscow to introduce himself. This developed into a friendship between the 36-year-old painter and the 52-year-old writer that lasted thirty years until Tolstoy's death in 1910. Repin regularly visited Tolstoy at his Moscow residence, and his country estate at Yasnaya Polyana. He painted a series of portraits of Tolstoy in peasant dress, working and reading under a tree at Yasnaya Polyana Tolstoy wrote of an 1887 visit by Repin: "Repin came to see me and painted a fine portrait. I appreciate him more and more; he is lively person, approaching the light to which all of us aspire, including us poor sinners." His last trip to see Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana was in 1907, when Tolstoy was 79. Despite his age, Tolstoy went horseback riding with Repin, ploughed fields, cleared paths of brush hiked through the countryside for nine hours all the while discussing philosophy and morals. Repin's portraits of Tolstoy in country dress were widely exhibited, and helped build Toltoy's legendary image.


Repin and Russian composers

File:Ilja Jefimowitsch Repin 007.jpg,
Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...
, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (1881) File:Modest Músorgski, por Iliá Repin.jpg,
Modest Moussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (1881) File:Mikhail Glinka by Ilya Repin.jpg, Mikhail Glinka composing the opera Ruslan and Ludmilla (1887) (painted thirty years after Glinka's death) File:Glazunov by Repin.jpg, Alexander Glazunov, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg (1887) File:Borodin by Repin.jpg, Portrait of Composer and Chemist Alexander Borodin (1888)
In addition to his portraits of Tolstoy and Russian writers, Repin painted portraits of the major Russian composers of his time, His images, like his paintings of Tolstoy and other writers, became an integral part of the image of these composers. His portrait of
Modest Moussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
was particularly famous. The composer suffered from alcoholism and depression. Repin painted him in four sittings, beginning four days before his death. When Moussorgsky died, Repin used the proceeds of the sale of the painting to erect a monument to the composer.''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, pp. 52-55 (in French) His portrait of Mikhail Glinka, composer of the opera " Ruslan and Ludmilla" (1887) was an unusual work for Repin. it was painted after Glinka's death; Repin never met him, and based on drawings and recollections of others. Other composers painted by Repin included Alexander Glazunov who had just completed Borodin's opera "Prince Igor", and
Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sa ...
the founder of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory of Music. His third daughter, Tatyana, was born in 1880. He frequented the art circle of
Savva Mamontov Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (russian: Са́вва Ива́нович Ма́монтов, ; 3 October 1841 (15 October N.S.), Yalutorovsk – 6 April 1918, Moscow) was a Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts. Bus ...
, which gathered at Abramtsevo, his estate near Moscow. Here Repin met many of the leading painters of the day, including
Vasily Polenov Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (Russian: Васи́лий Дми́триевич Поле́нов; 1 June 1844 – 18 July 1927) was a Russian landscape painter associated with the Peredvizhniki movement of realist artists. His contemporaries would c ...
,
Valentin Serov Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (russian: Валенти́н Алекса́ндрович Серо́в; 19 January 1865 – 5 December 1911) was a Russian painter and one of the premier portrait artists of his era. Life and work Youth and edu ...
, and
Mikhail Vrubel Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель; March 17, 1856 – April 14, 1910, all n.s.) was a Russian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. A prolific and innovative master in various med ...
. In 1882 he and Vera divorced; they maintained a friendly relationship afterwards. Repin's contemporaries often commented on his special ability of capturing peasant life in his works. In an 1876 letter to Stasov, Kramskoi wrote: "Repin is capable of depicting the Russian peasant exactly as he is. I know many artists who have painted peasants, some of them very well, but none of them ever came close to what Repin does." Leo Tolstoy later stated that Repin "depicts the life of the people much better than any other Russian artist." He was praised for his ability to reproduce human life with powerful and vivid force.


''Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks''

File:Repin Zaporozhtsy drawing.jpg, Preparatory sketch, Tretyakov Gallery (1878) File:Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks (sketch, 1880-90, GTG).JPG, Preliminary version detail (1880-1890) File:Ilja Jefimowitsch Repin - Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks - Yorck.jpg, '' Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV'' (1880-1891), State Russian Museum Saint Petersburg.(1880-1891) In 1883 he traveled around Western Europe with Vladimir Stasov. Repin's painting '' Religious Procession in Kursk Province'' was shown at the eleventh Itinerants' Society Exhibition. In that year he painted "The wall of Pere Lachaise Cemetery commemorating the Paris Commune". In 1886, he traveled to the Crimea with Arkhip Kuinji, and produced drawings and sketches on Biblical subjects. In 1887 he visited Austria, Italy, and Germany, and retired from the board of the Wanderers, painted two portraits of Leo Tolstoy at
Yasnaya Polyana Yasnaya Polyana ( rus, Я́сная Поля́на, p=ˈjasnəjə pɐˈlʲanə, literally: "Bright Glade") is a writer's house museum, the former home of the writer Leo Tolstoy. Bartlett, p. 25 It is southwest of Tula, Russia, and from Mosco ...
and painted ''
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
on the Shore of the Black Sea'' (in collaboration with
Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (russian: link=no, Иван Константинович Айвазовский; 29 July 18172 May 1900) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized ...
). In 1888 he traveled to Southern Russia and the Caucasus, where he did sketches and studies of descendants of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. Many of Repin's finest portraits were produced in the 1880s. Through the presentation of real faces, these portraits express the rich, tragical, and hopeful spirit of the period. His portraits of
Aleksey Pisemsky Aleksey Feofilaktovich Pisemsky (russian: Алексе́й Феофила́ктович Пи́семский) () was a Russian novelist and dramatist who was regarded as an equal of Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoyevsky in the late 1850s, but whos ...
(1880),
Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
(1881), and others created throughout the decade have become familiar to whole generations of Russians. Each is completely lifelike, conveying the transient, changeable nature of the sitter's state of mind. They give an intense embodiment of both the physical and spiritual life of the people who sat for him. In 1887 he was separated from his wife Vera. He visited Tolstoy at Yasnaya Polyana, and painted his portrait, and then took a long trip along the Volga and the Don, to the Coassack regions. This trip gave him material for his most famous historical work, ''
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks ''Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks'' is a painting by Ilya Repin. It is also known as ''Cossacks of Saporog Are Drafting a Manifesto'' and in Russian, (russian: Запорожцы пишут письмо турецкому султану, Zap ...
''. The painting depicts an event in 1678, when a group of cossacks amused themselves by drafting a highly insulting letter to the Turkish sultan, addressing him as "The Grand Imbecile." Repin worked on this painting periodically between 1880 and 1891, creating an extraordinary ensemble of expressive faces. The models, in fact, were mostly faculty members from the Academy of Arts. The finished work was so popular that he painted a second version. In 1894 he became the head of the painting workshop at the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg. He remained in this position until 1905, when he resigned in protest against the firing by government soldiers into a crowd of demonstrators outside the
Winter Palace The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now ...
in Saint Petersburg. Repin describes 1905 as "a year of disaster and shame".''Ilya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p 16 (in French) File:Repin Comune.JPG, ''The wall of Pere Lachaise Cemetery commemorating the Paris Commune (1883)'' (Tretyakov Gallery) File:Alexander III reception by Repin.jpg, ''Tsar Alexander III receives local government officials at Petrovsky Palace'' (1886) File:Nikolay II of Russia by I.Repin (1896, GIM).jpg, ''Tsar Nicholas II (1896) by Repin'' In 1890 he was given a government commission to work on the creation of a new statute for the Academy of Arts. In 1891 he resigned from the Wanderers in protest against a new statute that restricted the rights of young artists. An exhibition of works by Repin and Shishkin was held in the Academy of Arts, including ''Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks''. In 1892 he held a one-man exhibition at the History Museum in Moscow. In 1893 he visited academic art schools in Warsaw, Kraków, Munich, Vienna, and Paris to observe and study teaching methods. He spent the winter in Italy and published his essays ''Letters on Art''. In 1894 he began teaching a class at the Higher Art School attached to the Academy of Arts, a position he held, off and on, until 1907. In 1895 he painted portraits of Emperor Nicholas II, and Princess Maria Tenisheva. In 1896 he attended the All-Russian Exhibition in
Nizhni Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...
. His paintings were exhibited in Saint Petersburg, at the Exhibition of Works of Creative Art. His paintings from this year included ''The Duel'' and ''Don Juan and Dona Anna''. In 1897 he rejoined the Wanderers, and was appointed rector of the Higher Artistic School for a year. In 1898 he traveled to the Holy Land, and painted the icon ''Carrying the Cross'' for the Russian Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. After returning to Russia, he attended Pavel Tretyakov's funeral. In 1899 he joined the editorial board of the magazine ''World of Art'', but soon quit.


Move to Finland (1890)

File:Self portrait with Nordman by Repin.jpg, ''Self-portrait with Natalia Nordman'' (1903).
Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It ha ...
,
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
File:Илья Репин - Какой простор.jpg, ''What Freedom!'' (1903) File:Repino.jpg, The Penates, the Repin House-Museum in Kuokkala, now
Repino, Saint Petersburg Repino (russian: Ре́пино) is an area of Saint Petersburg, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with ...
In 1890 Repin met Natalia Nordman (1863-1914), who became his common-law wife. She was the daughter of an admiral, a writer and feminist, an activist for the improvement of working conditions. She advocated a simple life close to nature. In 1899 he acquired land near a village of Kuokkala, about forty kilometres north of St. Petersburg, and they built a country house, called the Penates, which became his home for the next thirty years. It was located in the Grand Duchy of Finland, then part of the Russian Empire. about an hour by train from St. Petersburg. At first he used it only as a summer house, but after he resigned from the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts in 1907, it became his full-time home and studio.''Il1901ya Repin- Peindre l'âme Russe'', Claude Pommereau (editor), Beaux Arts Editions, Paris, October 2021, p 60-63 (in French) It was a rather eccentric estate, including a studio covered with a pyramidal lantern roof, a landscape garden with a "Pushkin alley" of trees, a multicoloured music kiosk in the Egyptian style, and a telescope overlooking the Gulf of Finland. He hosted vegetarian breakfasts for his guests (a practice he adapted from Tolstoy), and very elaborate receptions on Wednesdays. His Wednesday guests included the opera singer Chaliapin, the writer
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
, the composer Alexander Glazunov the writer
Aleksandr Kuprin Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin (russian: link=no, Александр Иванович Куприн;  – 25 August 1938) was a Russian writer best known for his novels ''The Duel'' (1905)Kuprin scholar Nicholas Luker, in his biography ''A ...
; artists
Vasily Polenov Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (Russian: Васи́лий Дми́триевич Поле́нов; 1 June 1844 – 18 July 1927) was a Russian landscape painter associated with the Peredvizhniki movement of realist artists. His contemporaries would c ...
, Isaak Brodsky and
Nicolai Fechin , birth_date = , birth_place = Kazan, Russia , death_date = , death_place = Santa Monica, California United States , spouse = , known_for = Painting , orientation = , training = Imperial Academy of Arts Kaz ...
as well as poet
Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
, philosopher
Vasily Rozanov Vasily Vasilievich Rozanov (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Рóзанов; – 5 February 1919) was one of the most controversial Russian writers and important philosophers in the symbolists' of the pre-revolutionary epoch ...
and scientist
Vladimir Bekhterev Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev ( rus, Влади́мир Миха́йлович Бе́хтерев, p=ˈbʲextʲɪrʲɪf; January 20, 1857 – December 24, 1927) was a Russian neurologist and the father of objective psychology. He is best know ...
. In 1900 he took Nordman to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he served as a painting judge. They visited Munich, the
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, and
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, His painting ''Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!'' was shown at the 29th Exhibition of the Wanderers. In 1901 he received from the Tsar one of his largest commissions, for sixty portraits of the members of State Council. He proceeded with the help of photographs and the aid of two of his students. One of the subjects in the series was
Alexander Kerensky Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early Nove ...
, the Russian president before the Bolshevik seizure of power. In addition to his government commissions, he found time for a light work on an entirely different theme; a painting in 1902–1903 called "What Freedom!" depicting two students dancing in the waves at the beach after completing their examinations.


1900-1905 - Revolution and Disillusion

File:Ilya Repin - Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation - Google Art Project.jpg, ''
Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation ''Ceremonial Sitting of the State Council on 7 May 1901 Marking the Centenary of its Foundation'' (russian: Торжественное заседание Государственного совета 7 мая 1901 года в день столе ...
". Repin was a pioneer in photographic realism.'' File:Repin 17October.jpg, ''October 17, 1905 -Celebration of the new Russian constitution'' (1905)
The small movements toward democracy in the early 20th century inspired Repin, He joined the Constitutional Democratic Party, was offered the rank of Councillor of State, and was invited to take a seat in the Duma, the national assembly. He made a colourful painting of the celebration of the new Russian Constitution of 1905. Later, he painted the portrait of the newly-elected Russian President,
Alexander Kerensky Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early Nove ...
. However, the brutal repression of popular demonstrations in front of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1905 quickly disillusioned him, He called 1905 "the year of disaster and shame". He resigned from his teaching post at the Academy of Fine Arts, and concentrated on painting. Repin concentrated on writing his memoirs, which he finished in 1915. He visited St. Peterburg to see expositions, including a 1909 show of works by the modernist
Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj;  – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...
. Repin was not impressed; he described it as "the swamps of artistic corruption." In 1900 he took his common-law wife Natalia Nordman to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he served as a painting judge. He visited Munich, the
Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
, and
Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
, and painted ''Natalia Nordman in a Tyrolese Hat'' and ''In the Sunlight: Portrait of Nadezhda Repina''. In 1901 he was awarded the Legion of Honor. His painting ''Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!'' was shown at the 29th Itinerants' Society Exhibition. In 1902–1903 his works included the paintings ''Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council'' and ''What a Freedom!'', over forty portrait studies, and portraits of
Sergei Witte Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte (; ), also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the tsar as head of the government. Neither a liberal nor a conservative, he attract ...
and
Vyacheslav von Plehve Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve ( rus, Вячесла́в (Wenzel (Славик)) из Плевны Константи́нович фон Пле́ве, p=vʲɪtɕɪˈslaf fɐn ˈplʲevʲɪ; – ) served as a director of Imperial Russ ...
. ''Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council'' was the most demanding work commissioned by Repin, requiring numerous studies of the 100 councilors depicted, and the help of two of Repin's pupils. In 1904 he gave a speech at a memorial gathering for the artist
Vasily Vereshchagin Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (russian: Васи́лий Васи́льевич Вереща́гин, October 26, 1842April 13, 1904), was one of the most famous Russian war artists and one of the first Russian artists to be widely recognis ...
. He painted a portrait of the writer
Leonid Andreyev Leonid Nikolaievich Andreyev (russian: Леони́д Никола́евич Андре́ев, – 12 September 1919) was a Russian playwright, novelist and short-story writer, who is considered to be a father of Expressionism in Russian liter ...
and his work ''The Death of the Cossack Squadron Commander Zinovyev''. He made sketches depicting government troops opening fire on a peaceful demonstration on 9 December 1905. During 1905 Repin participated in many protests against bloodshed and Tsarist repressions, and tried to convey his impressions of these emotionally and politically charged events in his paintings. He also did sketches for portraits of
Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в;  – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...
and Vladimir Stasov and two portraits of Natalia Nordman. In 1907 he resigned from the Academy of Arts, visited Chuguyev and the
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, and wrote reminiscences of Vladimir Stasov. In 1908 he publicly denounced capital punishment in Russia. He illustrated Leonid Andreyev's story ''
The Seven Who Were Hanged ''The Seven Who Were Hanged'' (russian: Рассказ о семи повешенных) is a 1908 novella by Russian author Leonid Andreyev. The book is believed to have influenced the assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Plot A mini ...
'', and his painting ''The Cossacks from the Black Sea Coast'' was exhibited at the Itinerants' Society Exhibition. In 1909 he painted ''
Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
Burning the Manuscript of the Second Part of Dead Souls'', and in 1910, portraits of Pyotr Stolypin, and the children's writer and poet
Korney Chukovsky Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky ( rus, Корне́й Ива́нович Чуко́вский, p=kɐrˈnʲej ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ tɕʊˈkofskʲɪj, a=Kornyey Ivanovich Chukovskiy.ru.vorb.oga; 31 March NS 1882 – 28 October 1969) was one of the most p ...
.


War, the Bolshevik Revolution and later years (1917-1930)

File:Repin IE 1914.jpg, Repin in his studio at the Penates (1914) File:Bolchevik 1918 Repine.jpg, Drawing of a Red Army soldier stealing bread from a child (1918) File:Gopak by Repin.jpg, ''The Gopak'', the last painting of Repin (1926–30), painted on linoleum, because he could not get a canvas large enough File:Могила художника Репина.jpg, The tomb of Repin at the Penates The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 brought a series of setbacks and tragedies to Repin. His wife became ill with tuberculosis, and departed for treatment in Locarno, Switzerland. She refused assistance from her family and died in Switzerland in 1914. Then, following the October 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Finland, including the Penates, declared its independence from Russia. The border was closed, and Repin refused to return to Russia. He turned to Finland for new clients, painting a large group portrait of notable Finnish leaders and artists, including the architect
Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Eero Saarinen. Lif ...
, the composer
Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...
, and the future Finnish President
Carl Gustav Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...
. Repin included the back of his own head in the painting. In 1916 Repin worked on his book of reminiscences, ''Far and Near'', with the assistance of Korney Chukovsky. He welcomed the early phases of the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
of February 1917. In 1919 he donated his collection of works by Russian artists and his own works to the
Finnish National Gallery Finnish National Gallery ( fi, Suomen Kansallisgalleria, sv, Finlands Nationalgalleri) is the largest art museum institution of Finland. It consists of the Ateneum, an art museum; Kiasma, a contemporary art museum; and the Sinebrychoff Art Muse ...
in Helsinki, and in 1920 honorary celebrations of Repin were held by artistic circles in Finland. In 1921–1922 he painted ''The Ascent of Elijah the Prophet'' and ''Christ and Mary Magdalene (The Morning of the Resurrection)''. After end of the war in 1918, Repin could travel again. In 1923 Repin held a one-man exhibition in Prague. Celebrations were given in 1924 in Kuokkala to mark Repin's 80th birthday, and an exhibition of his works was held in Moscow. In 1925 a jubilee exhibition of his works was held in the Russian Museum in Leningrad, The rising Soviet leader, Josef Stalin, sent a delegation of Soviet artists, including a former student of Repin, Isaak Brodsky, to persuade Repin to return to St. Petersburg, and to give up his residence in Finland. But Repin did not want to be under the thumb of Stalin, and refused, though he donated three sketches devoted to the Revolution of 1905 and the portrait of Alexander Kerensky to the Museum of the Revolution of 1905. In 1928–29, still in Finland, he continued working on the painting ''The Hopak Dance'' (''The Zaporozhye Cossacks Dancing''), begun in 1926, which was his final work. It portrays again and again Repin's admiration of Ukraine and its culture. Repin painted it with oil on linoleum, because he could not get a canvas large enough. Repin died in 1930, and was buried at the Penates. After World War II the territory of Kuokkala was annexed by the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. In 1948 it was renamed
Repino Repino (russian: Репино) is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities ;Urban localities * Repino, Saint Petersburg, a municipal settlement in Kurortny District of the federal city of St. Petersburg ;Rural ...
in his honor. The Penates became a museum in 1940., and is now a UNESCO
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.


Portraits

File:Ilya Repin - Dragonfly. Painter's daughter portrait - Google Art Project.jpg, "The Dragonfly" - Repin's daughter Vera, age twelve (1884) File:Witte by Repin.jpg, Sketch for ''Portrait of
Sergei Witte Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte (; ), also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the tsar as head of the government. Neither a liberal nor a conservative, he attract ...
'', first Prime Minister of the new Russian government (1903) File:Repin tretyakov.jpg, ''Portrait of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov'', founder of the Tretyakov Gallery File:Menter by Repin.jpg, ''Portrait of
Sophie Menter Sophie Menter (29 July 1846 – 23 February 1918) was a German pianist and composer who became the favorite female student of Franz Liszt.Schonberg, 262. She was called ''l'incarnation de Liszt'' in Paris because of her robust, electrifying playing ...
'', pianist and professor of music at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory File:Ilya Repin - Portrait of Jelizaveta Zvantseva - Google Art Project.jpg, Painter
Elizaveta Zvantseva Elizaveta Nikolaevna Zvantseva (russian: link=no, Елизавета Николаевна Званцева 18 November 1864 OS/30 November 1864 (N. S.)–22 August 1921) was a Russian painter and art instructor who founded "the most progressive ...
,
Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It ha ...
Gallery, Helsinki (1889)
Repin particularly excelled at portrait painting. He produced more than three hundred portraits in his career. He painted most of the notable political figures, writers and composers of his time. One exception was Dostoevsky, whose mysticism Repin did not appreciate at all. He preceded each portrait with six or seven sketches. He had to persuade a reluctant Tolstoy to be portrayed working in a field with bare feet, as he usually did. Repin persistently searched for new techniques and content to give his work more fullness and depth. Repin had a set of favorite subjects, and a limited circle of people whose portraits he painted. But he had a deep sense of purpose in his aesthetics, and had the great artistic gift to sense the spirit of the age and its reflection in the lives and characters of individuals. Repin's search for truth and for an ideal led him in various directions artistically, influenced by hidden aspects of social and spiritual experiences as well as national culture. Like most Russian realists of his times, Repin often based his works on dramatic conflicts, drawn from contemporary life or history. He also used mythological images with a strong sense of purpose; some of his religious paintings are among his greatest.


Drawings and sketches

File:Repin Religious Procession in Kursk Governorate sketch 1878 ateneum.jpg, Sketch for ''Religious Procession in Kursk'' (1878) File:1880еРепин И.Е.ГлазуновСтасов.jpg, Pencil sketch of the composer Alexander Glazunov (1880s) File:Nevsky Prospekt by Repin.jpg, Drawing for ''Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg'', graphite pencil on paper (1887) File:Duse by Repin.jpg, The actress Eleanor Duse by Repin, charcoal on paper (1891) File:Maria Tenisheva by I.Repin (1898, GTG).jpg, Study for portrait of the art patroness Princess Maria Tenisheva (1896) With some of his paintings, Repin made one hundred or more preliminary sketches. He began his works with sketches in pencil or charcoal, using lines and cross-hatching. Often he would rub the drawing with his finger or an eraser to get the precise shading that he desired. He sometimes used drawings or paintings of his children to experiment with different points of view. For his large paintings, he made very detailed studies, experimenting with the composition and judging the overall impression.


Genre painting

File:Repin turf bench.jpg, Repin's family on a turf bench (1876) File:Seeing off a recruit (Repin).jpg, ''Seeing off a recruit'' (1879), State Russian Museum No Russian painter of the 19th or 20th century was more skilled at genre painting, portraying scenes of daily life in a sympathetic and perceptive way, giving each character a distinct purpose and personality. His works ranged from domestic scenes to small dramas, such as policemen arresting a young militant for distributing revolutionary tracts.


Repin and Ukraine

File:Репин. Украинка у плетня.jpg, ''Ukrainian Woman'' by Repin, (1876), Latvian National Museum of Art File:Khata by Repin.jpg, Ukrainian traditional peasant house painted by Repin (1880) Kyiv National Art Gallery File:Музей И.Ю.Репина.jpg, Repin Museum In
Chuhuiv Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of ...
In the 1870s to 1880s he visited
Chuguyev Chuhuiv ( uk, Чугуїв) or Chuguev (russian: Чугуев) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Chuhuiv Raion (district). It hosts the administration of Chuhuiv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of U ...
and gathered materials for his future works. There, he painted his ''Archdeacon''. Paintings of Repin inspired by Ukrainian culture include: The Repin Museum in his birthplace of Chugeev presents objects and works from his early life in Ukraine. * ''Man with a bad eye'' (1876) * ''Ukrainian girl by the fence'' (1876) * ''Mohnachi village near Chuguyev'' (1877) * ''Portret of M. Murashko'' (1877) * ''
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks ''Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks'' is a painting by Ilya Repin. It is also known as ''Cossacks of Saporog Are Drafting a Manifesto'' and in Russian, (russian: Запорожцы пишут письмо турецкому султану, Zap ...
'' (1880–1891, two versions: St. Petersburg, and Kharkiv) * ''Vechornytsi'' (1881) * ''Ukrainian village woman'' (1886) * ''Taras Shevchenko's portrait'' (1888) * ''Haydamaka'' (1902) * ''Cossacks on the Black Sea'' (1908) * ''Prometheus'' (1910, after T. Shevchenko's poem) * ''Hopak'' (1930) Repin was a member of the committee, set up to create a monument to painter-poet
Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...
whom he called an "apostle of freedom". He illustrated novels such as ''
Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons And ...
'' and '' Sorochinsky Fair'' by Nikolai Gogol (1872–82) and ''Zaporissya in the remains of ancient legends and people'' by
Dmytro Yavornytsky Dmytro Ivanovych Yavornytsky ( uk, Дмитро́ Іва́нович Яворни́цький), or Dmitry Ivanovich Yavornitsky (also known as ''Dmitry Evarnitsky'', russian: Дмитрий Иванович Яворницкий; November 6, 1855, ...
(1887), and drew numerous sketches of architecture as well as different popular aspects of Ukrainian culture. Repin's sphere of knowledge included a number of prominent thinkers of the time, including
Marko Kropyvnytskyi Mark Lukych Kropyvnytskii ( uk, Марко Лукич Кропивницький; russian: Марк Лукич Кропивницкий, translit=Mark Lukich Kropivnitsky; 7 May 1840 – 21 April 1910), commonly known as Marko Kropyvnytskyi, w ...
,
Mykola Murashko Mykola Ivanovych Murashko ( uk, Микола Іванович Мурашко, translit=Mykola Ivanovych Murashko; 20 May 1844, Hlukhiv, Glukhov, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire – 22 September 1909, Bucha, Kiev Oblast, Bucha, Kiev Go ...
, and
Dmytro Yavornytsky Dmytro Ivanovych Yavornytsky ( uk, Дмитро́ Іва́нович Яворни́цький), or Dmitry Ivanovich Yavornitsky (also known as ''Dmitry Evarnitsky'', russian: Дмитрий Иванович Яворницкий; November 6, 1855, ...
. Repin helped the committee of the Visual Arts Union in
Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver brid ...
. He was also an honorary member of Literature and Art Union, as well as Union of the Antiquities and Art in Kiev. He supported numerous painters, Murashko's art schools in Kiev, M. Rajevska-Ivanova in Kharkiv, and the Art school in Odessa. In one of his last letters he wrote: "kind, dear compatriots ..I ask you to believe in the sense of my devotion and endless regret that I can't move to live in a sweet, joyful Ukraine ..Loving you from the childhood, Ilya Repin". The painter was buried by the "Chuguyev's hill", a place at the end of his property in Penates.


Style and technique

Repin persistently searched for new techniques and content to give his work more fullness and depth. Repin had a set of favorite subjects, and a limited circle of people whose portraits he painted. But he had a deep sense of purpose in his aesthetics, and had the great artistic gift to sense the spirit of the age and its reflection in the lives and characters of individuals. Repin's search for truth and for an ideal led him in various directions artistically, influenced by hidden aspects of social and spiritual experiences as well as national culture. Like most Russian realists of his times, Repin often based his works on dramatic conflicts, drawn from contemporary life or history. He also used mythological images with a strong sense of purpose; some of his religious paintings are among his greatest. His method was the reverse of the general approach of
impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...
. He produced works slowly and carefully. They were the result of close and detailed study. He was never satisfied with his works, and often painted multiple versions, years apart. He also changed and adjusted his methods constantly in order to obtain more effective arrangement, grouping and coloristic power. Repin's style of portraiture was unique, but owed something to the influence of
Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Born ...
and Diego Velázquez.


Legacy

Repin was the first Russian artist to achieve European fame using specifically Russian themes. His 1873 painting ''Barge Haulers on the Volga'', radically different from previous Russian paintings, made him the leader of a new movement of critical realism in Russian art. He chose nature and character over academic formalism. The triumph of this work was widespread, and it was praised by contemporaries like
Vladimir Stasov Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov (also Stassov; rus, Влади́мир Васи́льевич Ста́сов; 14 January Adoption_of_the_Gregorian_calendar#Adoption_in_Eastern_Europe.html" ;"title="/nowiki> O.S._2_January.html" ;"title="Adoption of ...
and
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
. The paintings show his feeling of personal responsibility for the hard life of the common people and the destiny of Russia.


Gallery

File:Repin Slavic Composers.jpg, ''Slavic Composers'' (1871) File:E.V.Pavlov by Repin.jpg, ''The Surgeon Evgeny Vasilyevich Pavlov in the Operating Theater'' (1888) File:Ilya Repin - Cesar Cui.jpg, ''Portrait of Composer
César Antonovich Cui Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Pla ...
'' (1890) File:Neapolitan woman (1894) by Ilya Repin - Неаполитанка.jpg, ''Neapolitan Woman'' (1894) File:Илья Репин - Портрет графини Наталия П. Головиной.jpg, ''Portrait of Countess Natalia Petrovna Golovina'' (1896) File:Ilya Repin. The blonde woman (portrait of Tevashova).jpg, ''The Blonde Woman'' (1898, portrait of Tevashova) File:Gogol by Repin.jpg, ''
Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...
burning the manuscript of the second part of " Dead Souls"'' (1909)


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * *


Further reading

* * * * *Jackson, David, ''The Russian Vision: The Art of Ilya Repin'' (Schoten, Belgium, 2006) *Karageorgevich, Prince Bojidar, "Professor Repin," in the ''Magazine of Art'', xxiii. p. 783 (1899) *Prymak, Thomas M., "A Painter from Ukraine: Ilya Repin," ''Canadian Slavonic Papers'', LV, 1–2 (2013), 19–43. * Prymak, Thomas M., "Message to Mehmed: Repin Creates his ''Zaporozhian Cossacks''," in his ''Ukraine, the Middle East, and the West'' (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2021), pp. 173–200.
Шишанов, В.А. «Ниспровержение на пьедестал»: Илья Репин в советской печати 1920–1930-х годов / В.А. Шишанов // Архип Куинджи и его роль в развитии художественного процесса в ХХ веке. Илья Репин в контексте русского и европейского искусства. Василий Дмитриевич Поленов и русская художественная культура второй половины XIX – первых десятилетий XX века : материалы научных конференций. – М. : Гос. Третьяковская галерея, 2020. – С. 189–206.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Repin, Ilya Yefimovich 1844 births 1930 deaths 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian painters Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Russian Academy Members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts People from Chuhuiv People from Kharkov Governorate Peredvizhniki Male biographers Russian biographers Ukrainian biographers Russian illustrators Russian male essayists Russian realist painters Russian male painters Russian portrait painters Russian memoirists Essayists from the Russian Empire Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Full Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts Portrait artists Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Finland Ukrainian emigrants to Finland 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian male artists Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts