Ilya Repin. The artist's paintings as a kind of artistic chronicle of the era

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The highest achievements of realistic painting of the 19th century are associated with the names of outstanding Russian artists, among whom Ilya Repin occupies a special place. The paintings and works of this master are whole worlds, and the gallery of images is extremely diverse.

A bit of history

The heyday of fine arts in Russia fell on the second half of the 19th century. The paths of its development largely coincided with the movement in the development of literature. Visual arts did not remain aloof from the processes that affected the public consciousness. This is the time of the formation of the current, which was based on the ideas of critical realism. He managed to defeat the official direction, which was followed by the leadership of the Academy of Arts. Mythological and biblical themes were brought to the fore for the artists' work, justified by the idea that art is higher than life.

In 1863, some graduates of the Academy refused to create program paintings. The students proposed topics reflecting the problems of modern society, and were refused. In protest, they left the educational institution without completing the course, andformed with I. Kramskoy "Petersburg Artel of Artists". Later, in Moscow in 1870, an association of the Wanderers was organized, which organized art exhibitions in different cities. One of the brightest figures among the Wanderers was Repin Ilya Efimovich. The artist's paintings are among the pinnacles of the Wandering art. They reflect all the hardships of life and those turbulent changes that affected all spheres of life, which could not but lead to significant changes in art.

Outstanding draftsman, colorist and portrait painter, master of genre and historical paintings, Repin I. Ye. left a rich creative legacy.

Religious painting

On his sixth birthday, Ilya Repin received watercolors as a gift for the first time and began to draw. At the age of 12, a talented boy was assigned to study with the local painter I. M. Bunakov in Chuguev (Kharkov province). His first serious work was a copy of the icon depicting St. Alexander Nevsky. At the age of 15, Ilya, not without reason, could be attributed to independent master icon painters. He began to work together with an artel of local artisans and artists.

Painting churches, individual orders for icons - this is how Ilya Repin began his creative activity. Paintings, engravings, portraits, known for their excellent sense of life, spiritual beginning, vivid depiction of nature with all its prejudices and elemental feelings, will be created later. The first works of the artist are religious painting, the theme of which was destined to go through all the work of I. E. Repin.

The first great work that brought fame to a fifteen-year-old boy was the icon "Crucifixion", painted after the painting "Golgotha" by K. Steiben. Ilya Repin became a famous master in the area.

The first watercolor of the artist has survived to this day - "View of the school of military topographers in Chuguev", dated 1857.

In 1863, Ilya entered the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. The final work of the young artist, awarded the highest award - a gold medal, was the painting "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus".

Repin repeatedly returned to religious themes, performing icon-painting works. In 1898, in order to see live the places where Christ walked and preached, Ilya Efimovich went to the Holy Land. Materials for the painting "The Temptation of Christ" were collected here, "Carrying the Cross" was written.

Dramaturg of Russian painting

Even the artist's contemporaries admired the skillfully created multi-figure genre compositions and like "living" portraits.

One of the most remarkable phenomena in Russian fine arts was his Barge Haulers on the Volga. The picture was painted after traveling along the Volga in 1870. She made the strongest impression on the public. Its author asserts himself as a master of a vast range. The name becomes widely known - Ilya Repin. Paintings, descriptions of them are increasingly found in periodicals. Especially a lot of articles about "Barge Haulers on the Volga". According to the artist V. V. Stasov, the bitter human fate, exhibited in the role of beasts of burden,never appeared on canvas in such a terrible mass, in such a piercing chord.

The highest award received at the Academy of Arts gave Repin the right to make a trip to France. In the spring of 1873, he travels through Austria and Italy. In correspondence with friends Stasov, Tretyakov, Kramskoy shares his admiration for the paintings of Titian, Veronese, Michelangelo, his passion for portraits of Rembrandt, Velasquez. In Paris, he paints paintings, the most famous of which are "Paris Cafe", "Sadko", "Negress".

The period from the moment of his return to his homeland became the true flowering of Repin's creativity. His multi-figure genre and historical compositions, magnificent portraits appear. Ilya Repin depicted the diverse phenomena of life, the we alth of folk types and characters with incredible power. His paintings seemed to be embodied in a kind of artistic chronicle of this era. This is the suffering, embittered "Man with the Evil Eye" and "the extract of our deacons" - "Protodeacon". These are the cheerful, unrestrained dances of the peasants, the folk prowess in the painting "Evening Party", and social contrasts, deep contradictions depicted in the composition "The Procession in the Kursk Province". The artist manages to create a sense of action that seems to be happening in front of the viewer.

Ilya Repin is an artist whose paintings reflect the depth of perception of life. To understand the origins of the national character, the motives of various historical conflicts, the strength of psychological experiences, he turned to plots fromof the past. This is how dramatic plots were created about the stay of Princess Sofya Alekseevna in the Novodevichy Convent, about the murder of Ivan the Terrible by his son Ivan. It was a kind of protest against despotism. Ilya Efimovich Repin was the first artist to represent the populist revolutionaries. The paintings "The arrest of the propagandist", "Under escort", "They did not wait" and others reflect a clear sympathy for their heroes. A keen sense of modernity is a defining beginning in Repin's work.

Portrait painting

By the 90s, Repin created a whole gallery of portraits. Among them are many portraits of famous scientists, writers, composers, artists. A kind of perfection was the work "The Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council." In this composition, the artist managed to depict a considerable number of those present, many of whom were given a psychological characteristic.

In the field of portrait graphics, Ilya Repin achieved great skill. His portraits of V. A. Serov, I. S. Ostroukhov, Eleonora Duse and others are distinguished by a beautiful drawing. The power of typing, free, broad writing make these sketches the pinnacle of Repin's skill.

Last years of life

Even during his lifetime, a period of public recognition of an outstanding, versatile artist, which was actually Ilya Repin, began. His paintings truly depict various historical periods of Russia, containing all the greatness, strength, pain and weakness of Russia.

The last years of his life Repin lived on Finnish territory inKuokkale in the estate, nicknamed by him "penates". After the October Revolution, he refused an invitation, made at a fairly high official level, to return to the country. He donated his paintings to museums, did not lose contact with his friends and students I. Brodsky, K. Chukovsky, but did not return to his homeland.

The artist lived a long and rather fruitful life, opening the way to justice and goodness in his masterpieces.