Biography of the Russian Artist Ilya Repin

This 19th Century Painter was a Pioneer of Realism

Jul 27, 2009

Repin brought the experience of the ordinary Russian into the picture. His work reflects the changing focus of culture in the years leading up to the 1917 revolution.

Great changes in thought occured in late nineteenth century Russia. Writers and painters became increasingly interested in representing the harsh experiences of the peasants. Repin was a leading proponent of this realist movement.

Early Life of Ilya Repin

Ilya Efimovich Repin was born on 5th August 1844 in Chuguev, a city in Eastern Ukraine. At the time it was a military settlement, and Repin’s parents were very much a part of this world. As a young boy Repin studied with the icon painted Bunakov and showed tremendous talent.

Ilya Repin – St Petersburg and the Rebellion of the Fourteen

Repin moved to St Petersburg at the age of nineteen to study art formally. He began his work at the Drawing School of the Society for the Support of Artists (1863-4), where he studied under Ivan Kramskoi (1837-87) – a man who would be an important influence on the young artist in the future.

Kramskoi led the ‘Rebellion of the Fourteen,’ where fourteen students resigned from the St Petersburg Academy of Arts in protest at the strict rules for the Gold Medal Prize. Artists could not choose their own work and had to stick to traditional subject matter. Repin must have observed this scandalous event, and it certainly influenced his work as a realist painter.

By 1864 Repin was admitted to the Academy himself, and ironically won the Gold Medal for his diploma work, Raising of Jairus’ Daughter (1871) This gave him a six year scholarship, including three years study overseas. After graduating he painted Barge Haulers on the Volga (1871-3) before commencing his travel.

Ilya Repin - Travels Abroad

In 1873 he travelled to Europe, initially touring Italy before settling and working in Paris until 1876. It was here that he saw the first Impressionist exhibition. Although he was not directly inspired by their work, parallels exist in the focus on truth: nineteenth century Russian Realists were passionate about depicting the harsh reality of peasant life; the Impressionists looked at the ever-changing nature of light and atmosphere.

Ilya Repin’s Golden Period – Return to Russia and the Society of Wandering Exhibitions

After his time overseas Repin returned to his hometown. In 1878 he moved to St Petersburg and joined the Society of Wandering Exhibitions, founded by seven of the fourteen St Petersburg rebels, including Kramskoi. Repin formed a close friendship with his former teacher and become an important member of the group, which sought to emphasize the social and political aspects of art, as opposed to pure form. This paralleled the realist movement in literature, best exemplified by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. From 1878-82 he also become a core member of Savva Mamontov’s Abramtsevo Art Circle.

In 1882 he returned to St Petersburg where he created some of his greatest works, including Refusal of the Confession (1879-85), including two portraits of Leo Tolstoy (1887) and Ivan the Terrible and his Son Ivan (1895).

Ilya Repin’s Later Years

Although Repin did not paint any masterpieces after 1900, probably due to the atrophy of his right hand, his personal life was fulfilling. He fell in love with Natalia Nordman and hosted ‘Wednesday at the Penaty’ events at her home of the same name in Kukkuola, Finland. They were attended by the greatest Russian artists and thinkers of the day. In 1948 the town was renamed Repino in his honour, eighteen years after his death in 1930.

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