Likely because of the enmity between the old Soviet Union and western nations, much of Russian and Slavic art has been remote and little-known. My favorite of that large and neglected group of great artists is Ilya Repin (1844-1930).
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| Ilya Repin, Modes Mussorgsky, 1881 |
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| Ilya Repin, "Ivan the Terrible and His Son," oil, 1885 |
I was reminded of him again not long ago when his portrait of the famous Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky became the subject of an online demonstration. My introduction to Mr Repin's work came years ago when I stumbled on his incredibly moving "Ivan the Terrible and His Son on November 16,1581," a work of amazing power and horror that he painted in 1881. Ivan is cradling the head of his son, whom he has just struck across the temple in a fit of towering rage. The son, who was heir to the throne of Russia, subsequently died from the blow, marking the death knell of Ivan's dynasty. The expression on the face of Ivan is quite simply an astonishing mix of horror, loss, and hopelessness that is unparalleled in western art.
Mr. Repin was born in Ukraine and studied in Russia at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts from 1863 to 1870. Like many young artists in the late 19th century, he traveled to Europe after graduation, spending time in Italy and then settling in Paris for a few years (1873 to 1876), and exhibiting his own work in the Salon. He also had the opportunity to see the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris in those years, and though he was interested in their ideas of color and light he felt that their subject matter lacked serious content. One of his earliest works, often called Volga Boatmen (below), was an unsparing view of the hard-laboring peasants who hauled boats alongshore. In his social conscience, it seems to me, he was considerably closer to van Gogh.
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| "Barge Haulers on the Volga," oil, 1870 |
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| "The Surgeon E.V. Pavlov in the Operating Theater," oil, 1888 |
Settling in Moscow, Mr. Repin produced works ranging from portraiture to social realism to history paintings and became justly famous in Russia and the rest of the world, and is probably even now the most famous Russian.
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| "Leo Tolstoy," oil, 1887 |
Most of Mr. Repins prodigious output is in Russia, either in The Tretyakov Gallery or the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. If the opportunity presents, visiting either or both of these outstanding collections is on my personal bucket list.
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Favorite Artists 2--Chardin
Favorite Artists 3--Grant Wood
Favorite Artists 4--Diego Velazquez
Favorite Artists 5--Andrew Wyeth
Favorite Artists 6--Wayne Thiebaud
Favorite Artists 7 - Edward Hopper
Favorite Artists 8- Nicolai Fechin
Favorite Artists 9- Rembrandt
Favorite Artists 10-Hokusai
Favorite Artists 11-Franz Hals
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