Portraits painted by Repin. Repin's famous contemporaries in photographs and paintings: what the people whose portraits the artist painted were like in real life. Genre works of the artist

Ilya Efimovich Repin is one of the most prominent representatives of Russian painting of the 19th-20th centuries. As the artist himself stated, art was with him always and everywhere and never left him.

The formation of the artist's creative path

I. Repin was born in 1844 near Kharkov, in the Ukrainian village of Chuguevo, in the family of a retired military man. Birthplaces made an invaluable contribution to the formation of the life and creative impressions of the aspiring artist. While still a teenager, he studied topography at a military school, and a little later took lessons in icon painting from local masters. Ilya Repin carried his love for his native places throughout his life.

Having a fierce desire to be a master of painting, the young man at the age of 19 began studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, from which a group of rebels under the leadership of I. Kramskoy had just graduated. In 1863, students demonstratively refused to complete a qualifying assignment on the specified topic. It was a time of awakening of public consciousness, student unrest, hope for the future, under the influence of which the ideas and views of Ilya Efimovich were formed.

As a student, Repin attended creative “Thursday evenings”, where he was passionate about drawing, reading new works and discussing the role of art. The works written while studying at the Academy were completed in accordance with all the requirements and canons of academic drawing and painting. In the artist’s early works one can trace the influence of the ideas and views of the participants in the “Kramsky rebellion”, who proclaimed the close connection of art with the demands of life. From the very first works of the young artist, enormous creative potential, artistic capabilities and interests are noticeable.

Genre works of the artist

Gradually, Ilya Repin increasingly moves away from academic productions and becomes interested in painting canvases that reveal the complex fate of a humiliated people. This genre of paintings contradicted academic guidelines, which is why the painter even wanted to quit his studies. He was dissuaded from this decision by offering an paid trip along the Volga, and then abroad.

One of the most famous works written in the early period of creative activity is the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga”. The canvas, created during his years of study at the Academy of Arts, immediately brought Repin fame. The difficult life of barge haulers, clearly shown on the canvas, became the object of criticism. It took the artist about three years to create this painting. The masterfully selected composition and characters in the work reveal the breadth of the artist’s creative abilities and his desire to penetrate into the very depths of characters and human feelings. The painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga” became the beginning of the manifestation of a monumental character in the artist’s works.

After receiving a gold medal for his graduation work “The Resurrection of Jairus’ Daughter,” I. E. Repin continued to receive his education in France. Inspired by the works of old masters such as Velazquez, Rembrandt, Hals, and his impressionist contemporaries, the Russian artist, along with large-sized canvases, painted many plein air sketches. Close contact with nature brought the painter a noticeable creative boost. The impressions received in France found their echoes in Repin’s paintings.

Returning to Russian lands in 1876, the artist fully revealed his creative abilities, working in all genres. During the most fruitful period of time, the famous work “Religious Procession in the Kursk Province” (1883) was created. A considerable part of the sketches for the painting were created near Moscow, on the estate of S.I. Mamontov. I. Repin “Procession of the Cross” reveals the historical significance of processions of the cross in Russia, paying great attention to every detail. The work is a reflection of the experience of Russian democratic painting.

When creating his works, Ilya Efrimovich repeatedly turned to revolutionary themes. The painter reveals the spiritual significance of the individual, the beauty of his inner world in the portrait genre. Repin was engaged in painting portraits throughout his entire creative career. Feeling the uniqueness of each person, the artist masterfully reproduced their character on canvas. Portraiture is an expression of awareness of the spiritual significance of the people.

Personal life and last years of life of I. Repin

In 1887, a turning point began in the life of the great painter. Having divorced his wife V. Alekseeva, Repin left the artistic Association of Traveling Exhibitions. During these years, the artist's health began to deteriorate significantly.

Since 1894 and for 13 years, Ilya Repin has been the head of the workshop at the Academy of Arts. At the beginning of the 20th century, the artist received one of the largest orders to paint a multi-figure canvas of the Ceremonial Session. The area of the work was 35 m². To create the painting, Repin wrote several dozen studies and sketches. Due to overwork, the artist’s right hand began to fail, and he had to learn to work with his left.

In 1899, Ilya Repin married for the second time. His wife was Natalya Nordman. The artist spent the last thirty years of his life at his wife’s estate in Finland. The outstanding painter died at the age of 86, leaving behind a great legacy of Russian painting.

Olga Mokrousova

Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844-1930).

Women's portraits. Part 1.

Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov: Portrait of the artist I. E. Repin. 1892

Biography:
I. E. Repin was born in the city of Chuguev, located on the territory of the Kharkov province, in 1844. And then no one could even imagine that this ordinary boy from a poor family would become a great Russian artist. His mother was the first to notice his abilities when he helped her paint eggs in preparation for Easter. No matter how happy the mother was about such talent, she did not have money for its development.

Ilya began attending classes at a local school, where they studied topography, and after the closure of which he entered the icon painter N. Bunakov, in his workshop. Having acquired the necessary drawing skills in the workshop, fifteen-year-old Repin became a frequent participant in the painting of numerous churches in villages. This went on for four years, after which, with the accumulated hundred rubles, the future artist went to St. Petersburg, where he planned to enter the Academy of Arts.

Having failed the entrance exams, he became a student at the preparatory art school at the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. Among his first teachers at school was I. N. Kramskoy, who was Repin’s faithful mentor for a long time. The next year, Ilya Efimovich was accepted into the Academy, where he began to write academic works, and at the same time wrote several works of his own free will.

Self-portrait. 1887

This work was recognized as the best for the entire time that the Academy of Arts existed. While still a young man, Repin began to pay attention to portraits; in 1869 he painted a portrait of the young V. A. Shevtsova, who three years later became his wife.

But the great artist became widely known in 1871, after painting the group portrait “Slavic Composers”.

Among the 22 figures depicted in the painting are composers from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic. In 1873, during a trip to Paris, the artist became acquainted with the French art of impressionism, which he was not delighted with. Three years later, having returned to Russia again, he immediately went to his native Chuguev, and in the fall of 1887 he already became a resident of Moscow.

During this time, he met the Mamontov family, spending time communicating with other young talents in their workshop. Then work began on the famous painting “Cossacks,” which was completed in 1891. Many more works that are quite well known today were written, among them numerous portraits of prominent personalities: the chemist Mendeleev, M.I. Glinka, the daughter of his friend Tretyakov A.P. Botkina and many others. There are many works depicting L.N. Tolstoy.

The year 1887 became a turning point for I.E. Repin. He divorced his wife, accusing him of bureaucracy, left the ranks of the Association, which organized traveling exhibitions of artists, and the artist’s health had significantly deteriorated.

From 1894 to 1907 he held the position of head of a workshop at the Art Academy, and in 1901 received a large order from the government. Attending multiple council meetings, after just a couple of years, he presents the finished canvas “Council of State”.

This work, with a total area of 35 square meters, was the last of the large works.

Self-portrait with Natalya Borisovna Nordman. 1903

Repin married for the second time in 1899, choosing N.B. Nordman-Severova as his companion, with whom they moved to the town of Kuokkala and lived there for three decades. In 1918, due to the war with the White Finns, he lost the opportunity to visit Russia, but in 1926 he received a government invitation, which he refused for health reasons. In September 1930, on the 29th, the artist Ilya Efimovich Repin passed away.

I present the artist’s female portraits, which are an important part of the great master’s legacy.

Portrait of Yanitskaya. 1865

Portrait of the artist’s mother T. S. Repina. 1867

Portrait of V. A. Shevtsova, later the artist’s wife. 1869

Portrait of E. G. Mamontova. 1874-1879

V. A. Repin. 1876

Portrait of V. A. Repina, the artist’s wife. 1876

Portrait of M. P. Shevtsova, wife of A. A. Shevtsov. 1876

Portrait of Chuguev resident S.L. Lyubitskaya. 1877

Portrait of Vera Repina (1878)

Portrait of S. A. Repina, née Shevtsova

Portrait of public figure P. S. Stasova, wife of D. V. Stasov. 1879

Portrait of a woman (E. D. Botkina). 1881

Actress P. A. Strepetova. 1882

Portrait of T. A. Mamontova (Rachinskaya). 1882

Nun. 1887

Portrait of pianist M. K. Benois. 1887

Portrait of pianist S. I. Menter. 1887

Portrait of Baroness V. I. Ikskul von Gildenbandt. 1889

Portrait of S. M. Dragomirova. 1889

Portrait of E. N. Zvantseva. 1889

Portrait of O. S. Alexandrova-Gaines. 1890

Portrait of the sculptor E. P. Tarkhanova-Antokolskaya. 1893

Portrait of Princess M.K. Tenisheva. 1896

Portrait of N. I. Repina. 1896

Blonde (Portrait of Olga Tevyasheva). 1898

Portrait of Repina, the artist's daughter. 1898

In the sun. Portrait of N. I. Repina. 1900

Portrait of Alexandra Pavlovna Botkina. 1901

Portrait of the writer N. B. Nordman-Severova. 1905

Portrait of M. K. Olive. 1906

Portrait of Countess S. V. Panina. 1909

Portrait of Nadezhda Borisovna Nordman-Severova. 1909

Portrait of Maria Borisovna Chukovskaya. 1909

Portrait of the artist Bella Gorskaya. 1910

Portrait of K. B. Boleslavova. 1913

Portrait of M. O. Levenfeld. 1913

Portrait of the writer T. L. Shchepkina-Kupernik. 1914

Portrait of Maria Klopushina. 1925

I. E. Repin born in the city of Chuguev, located on the territory of the Kharkov province, in 1844. And then no one could even imagine that this ordinary boy from a poor family would become a great Russian artist. His mother was the first to notice his abilities when he helped her paint eggs in preparation for Easter. No matter how happy the mother was about such talent, she did not have money for its development.

Having failed the entrance exams, he became a student at the preparatory art school at the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. Among his first teachers at school was, who for a long time remained Repin’s faithful mentor. The next year, Ilya Efimovich was accepted into the Academy, where he began to write academic works, and at the same time wrote several works of his own free will.

The matured Repin graduated from the Academy in 1871, already an established artist in all respects. His graduation work, for which he received a Gold Medal, was a painting called by the artist “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter.” This work was recognized as the best for the entire time that the Academy of Arts existed. While still a young man, Repin began to pay attention to portraits; in 1869 he painted a portrait of the young V. A. Shevtsova, who three years later became his wife.

But the great artist became widely known in 1871, after painting the group portrait “Slavic Composers”. Among the 22 figures depicted in the painting are composers from Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic. In 1873, during a trip to Russia, the artist became acquainted with the French art of impressionism, which he was not delighted with. Three years later, having returned to Russia again, he immediately went to his native Chuguev, and in the fall of 1877 he already became a resident of Moscow.

During this time, he met the Mamontov family, spending time communicating with other young talents in their workshop. Then work began on the famous painting, which was completed in 1891. Many more works that are quite well known today were written, among them numerous portraits of prominent personalities: the chemist Mendeleev, M.I. Glinka, the daughter of his friend Tretyakov A.P. Botkina and many others. There are many works depicting L.N. Tolstoy.

From 1894 to 1907 he held the position of head of a workshop at the Art Academy, and in 1901 received a large order from the government. After attending multiple council meetings, after just a couple of years, he presents the finished canvas. This work, with a total area of 35 square meters, was the last of the large works.

We know many historical figures only from sculptures and portraits, so we have to judge their appearance based on other people’s interpretations. Fortunately, there was a short period in history when photography had already appeared and classical painting had not yet become a thing of the past. Let's compare what people looked like “in life” and in portraits, using the example of Ilya Repin, one of the greatest portrait painters in history, who was also a subtle psychologist.

Left: Maxim Gorky and Maria Andreeva pose for Repin. 1905 Right: Portrait of Maria Andreeva made by Repin in 1905.

Fatal Maria Fedorovna Andreeva (née Yurkovskaya) was one of the most famous and influential actresses of the early twentieth century: she helped Stanislavsky open the Moscow Art Theater, charmed Savva Morozov and turned his feelings towards financing the needs of the theater and the party. She had known Repin since childhood and, at the age of 15, posed for illustrations for Pushkin’s “The Stone Guest”: the artist painted Donna Anna from her.

In 1900, when the Moscow Art Theater went to Sevastopol to show Chekhov “The Seagull,” the writer introduced Andreeva to Maxim Gorky. Around the same time, she became interested in Marxist literature and began to become close to the Bolsheviks and help them in party affairs. The actress even joined the RSDLP before Gorky. A few years later, Andreeva became the writer’s common-law wife and his literary secretary. Having moved to Finland, they often visited Repin’s estate and posed for portraits by the artist.

Gorky and Andreeva pose for Repin. Finland, 1905.

Even before this portrait was completed, the writer Alexander Kuprin and his wife saw it: they were invited to the workshop to read Gorky’s play “Children of the Sun.” When Repin asked what Kuprin thought about the picture, he hesitated: “The question took me by surprise. The portrait is unsuccessful, it does not look like Maria Fedorovna. This big hat casts a shadow on her face, and then he (Repin) gave her face such a repulsive expression that it seems unpleasant. I felt awkward, didn’t immediately find what to say, and remained silent. Repin looked at me carefully and said: “You didn’t like the portrait. I agree with you - the portrait is unsuccessful."

Left: portrait of composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, 1881.

Ilya Repin was a friend of the composer Modest Mussorgsky and an admirer of his work. He knew about his friend's drunkenness and wrote bitterly about it:

“It’s incredible how this excellently educated guards officer, with excellent social manners, a witty interlocutor in ladies’ society, an inexhaustible punster, soon found himself in some cheap taverns, losing his cheerful appearance there, becoming like regulars like “former people”, where this childishly cheerful the bottle with the red potato spout was no longer recognizable. Is it really him? Dressed to the nines, he was a shuffler, an impeccable man of society, perfumed, refined, fastidious.”

When the artist learned that Mussorgsky was in serious condition in the hospital, he went to see him and painted this portrait in four sessions (from March 2 to March 5, 1881). As an eyewitness said, I had to work “with all sorts of inconveniences; The painter didn’t even have an easel, and he had to somehow perch at the table in front of which Mussorgsky was sitting in a hospital chair.” 10 days after this, the composer died. The artist refused payment for the work, donating money for a monument to his late friend.

Portrait of Leo Tolstoy, 1887, and photo of the writer.

Repin and Tolstoy were warm friends for almost 30 years, until the writer’s death. Repin created 3 busts of the writer, 12 portraits, 25 drawings, 8 sketches of Tolstoy’s family members and 17 illustrations for Tolstoy’s works - in watercolor, pen and pencil. Even after moving to St. Petersburg, Repin met with Tolstoy on every visit to Moscow. In his memoirs, the artist admitted that in the presence of Lev Nikolaevich, as if hypnotized, he could only obey his will and every position expressed by Tolstoy seemed to him at that moment indisputable. The writer criticized Repin’s paintings and suggested details to him, and about one of the works he said admiringly: “The craftsmanship is such that one cannot see the craftsmanship!”

Tolstoy’s eldest daughter Tatyana Sukhotina, who also became his model, also visited the artist’s house. Tatyana Lvovna was fond of painting and copied portraits of her father made by Repin (although she did not dare to paint a new one). After the revolution, she even opened a drawing studio in Moscow.

Tatyana Sukhotina (Tolstaya).

Valentin Serov began drawing on Repin’s recommendation at the age of 9, and the accomplished artist studied with the teenager for six years. In Serov's mother Valentina Semyonovna, Repin found the traits of the proud princess Sofia Alekseevna. He had long wanted to paint Princess Sophia in prison, but could not find a model, but here he was lucky.

In the painting “Princess Sophia” the artist combined sketch portraits of the translator Blaramberg-Apreleva, the dressmaker and Valentina Serova. It is believed that Sophia has a slight portrait resemblance to the artist’s mother: it was important for Repin to create a collective image and show the strength of spirit, perseverance and unbroken will of the woman.

Valentina Serova in the photo and in the painting “Princess Sophia in the Novodevichy Convent”, 1879.

Valentina Serova in the photo and in the portrait of Repin.

Repin more than once invited his friend Pavel Tretyakov to sit for his portrait, but the gallery owner did not agree for a long time: he was a reserved person and did not want to be recognized. Lost in the crowd of visitors to his exhibitions, he could, while remaining unrecognized, hear their sincere feedback. Repin believed that everyone should know by sight one of the most outstanding cultural figures of the era, and yet he persuaded him to take a portrait. The artist depicted his friend in his usual pose, absorbed in his thoughts, in his favorite gallery. Contemporaries called the portrait successful and recognized in it the modest, spiritual Tretyakov - the way he was in life.

Right: portrait of Pavel Tretyakov, 1883.

Contemporaries of Alexei Feofilaktovich Pisemsky argued that Repin managed to very accurately capture the character of the writer - sarcastic, skeptical, mocking - and that his work went beyond the scope of an ordinary portrait. But melancholy is also noticeable in the writer’s gaze: Repin knew that the writer was unwell and addicted to alcohol, that one of his sons committed suicide, and the second was terminally ill, and showed this in the picture. The portrait was taken a year before the writer’s death.

Right: portrait of Alexei Pisemsky, 1880.

The portrait of the artist’s eldest daughter Vera in the painting “Autumn Bouquet” is imbued with special tenderness. In a letter to Tatyana Sukhotina (Tolstaya), Repin shared: “I begin with a portrait of Vera, in the middle of the garden with a large bouquet of rough autumn flowers, with a boutonniere of delicate, graceful ones; wearing a beret, expressing a feeling of life, youth, bliss.”

Right: Autumn bouquet. Portrait of Vera Ilyinichna Repina, 1892.

The work of the Russian artist Ilya Repin has a special place at home and abroad. The artist’s works are the brightest phenomenon in world culture, because the creator of the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga” was almost the first to sense the approach of the revolution, predict the mood in society and depict the heroism of the participants in the protest movement.

History, religion, social injustice, the beauty of man and nature - Repin covered all the topics and fully realized his artistic gift. The artist’s productivity is amazing: Ilya Efimovich gave the world hundreds of paintings written in the genre of realism. He did not give up drawing even in old age, before his death, when his hands did not obey the master.

Childhood and youth

The master of Russian realism was born in the summer of 1844 in the Kharkov province. He spent his childhood and youth in the Little Russian town of Chuguev, where the non-service Cossack Vasily Repin, the artist’s grandfather, had previously settled. Vasily Efimovich maintained an inn and traded.

Ilya Repin's father, the eldest of the children, sold horses, driving herds 300 miles from Donshchina (Rostov region). Retired soldier Efim Vasilyevich Repin participated in three military campaigns and lived in Slobozhanshchina until his last day.

Later, Ukrainian motifs occupied an important place in the work of Ilya Repin; the artist never severed ties with his small homeland.

His mother, an educated woman and ascetic, Tatyana Bocharova, influenced her son. The woman organized a school for peasant children, where she taught penmanship and arithmetic. Tatyana Stepanovna read poetry and poetry aloud to the children, and when the family needed money, she sewed fur coats with hare fur.

Uncle Trofim discovered the artist in little Ilya, bringing watercolors to the house. The boy saw how a black and white watermelon in the alphabet “came to life” under the brush, and disappeared for the rest of his studies. It was difficult to tear Ilya away from drawing so that he could eat.

At the age of 11, Ilya Repin was sent to topographic school - the profession was considered prestigious. But when the educational institution was abolished 2 years later, the young artist got a job as a student in an icon-painting workshop. Here Repin was taught the basics of painting, and soon contractors from the surrounding area bombarded the workshop with orders, asking to send Ilya to them.

At 16, the creative biography of the young painter continued in the icon painting artel, where Ilya Repin got a job for 25 rubles a month.

In the summer, artel workers traveled, looking for orders outside the province. In Voronezh, Repin was told about , an artist from Ostrogozhsk, who left his native land to study at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. In the fall, 19-year-old Ilya Repin, inspired by Kramskoy’s example, went to the northern capital.

Painting

The works of the young man from Chuguev ended up with the conference secretary of the academy. After reviewing it, he refused Ilya, criticizing him for his inability to draw shadows and strokes. Ilya Repin did not give up and remained in St. Petersburg. Having rented a room in the attic, the guy got a job in a drawing school, in the evening department. Soon his teachers praised him as the most capable student.

The following year, Ilya Repin entered the academy. St. Petersburg postal director and philanthropist Fyodor Pryanishnikov agreed to pay the student’s tuition fees. 8 years at the academy brought the artist invaluable experience and acquaintance with talented contemporaries - Mark Antokolsky, and critic Vladimir Stasov, with whom he connected his life for decades. The painter from Chuguev called Ivan Kramskoy a teacher.

One of the most talented students of the art academy, Ilya Repin, received a medal for his painting “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter.” The biblical story could not be translated onto canvas, so Ilya remembered his sister who had died as a teenager and imagined what facial expressions the relatives would have had if the girl had been resurrected. The picture came to life in the imagination and brought first fame.

In 1868, a student, sketching sketches on the banks of the Neva, saw barge haulers. Ilya was struck by the gap between the loitering public and the draft manpower. Repin sketched out the plot, but put the work aside: his senior year was ahead. In the summer of 1870, the painter had the opportunity to visit the Volga and again observe the work of barge haulers. On the shore, Ilya Repin met the prototype of a barge hauler, whom he depicted in the first three with his head tied with a rag.

The painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga” created a sensation in Russia and Europe. Each of the painted workers bears the traits of individuality, character, and the tragedy they have experienced. German art critic Norbert Wolf drew a parallel between Repin's painting and the procession of the damned from The Divine Comedy.

The fame of the talented painter from St. Petersburg spread to Moscow. Philanthropist and entrepreneur Alexander Porokhovshchikov (ancestor of the famous Russian actor) ordered a painting from Ilya Repin for the Slavic Bazaar restaurant. The artist got down to business and in the summer of 1872 presented the finished work, which received praise and compliments.

In the spring of next year, Ilya Repin went on a trip to Europe, visiting Austria, Italy and France. In Paris, he met the Impressionists, whose works inspired the creation of the painting “Parisian Cafe”. But the alien culture and style of impressionism, fashionable in France, irritated the Russian realist. Drawing the picture “Sadko,” in which the hero is in an alien underwater kingdom, Repin seemed to be representing himself.

The canvas was shown at the exhibition of the Wanderers, but the interpretation of the plot was not liked. The Tsar ordered that the work not be allowed into exhibitions, but dozens of eminent people spoke out in defense of Repin’s creation. The emperor lifted the ban.

The master presented the painting “We Didn’t Expect” in 1888, and it was immediately recognized as another masterpiece. On the canvas, Ilya Repin masterfully conveyed the psychological portraits of the characters. The interior for the canvas was the room of a dacha in Martyshkino near St. Petersburg. Repin changed the face of the main character more than once, even when the painting was included in the gallery’s exhibition. Ilya Repin secretly made his way into the hall and rewrote the face of the unexpected guest until he achieved the desired expression.

In the summer of 1880, the painter went to Little Russia, taking with him a student. In a creative binge, he painted everything: huts, people, clothes, household utensils. Repin was surprisingly close to the local cheerful people.

The result of the trip was the paintings “Cossacks writing a letter to the Turkish Sultan” and “Hopak. Dance of the Zaporozhye Cossacks. The first work appeared in 1891, the second in 1927. Ilya Repin wrote the work “Duel” in 1896. Tretyakov acquired it, placing the painting in a Moscow gallery, where it is kept today.

Royal orders occupy a special place in the artist’s heritage. The first one came to Ilya Repin in the mid-1880s from Alexander III. The king wanted to see the reception of the volost elders on the canvas. After the first order was successfully completed, the second one arrived. The painting “The Ceremonial Meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901” was painted in 1903. Of the “royal” paintings, the famous “Portrait”.

At the end of his days, the master worked in the Finnish Kuokkala, on the Penaty estate. Colleagues from the Soviet Union came to Finland to visit the elderly master, persuading him to move to Russia. But Repin, homesick, never returned.

A few years before his death, Repin lost his right hand, but Ilya Efimovich had no idea how to live without work. He wrote with his left hand, whose fingers soon ceased to obey the owner. But the illness did not become an obstacle, and Repin continued to work.

In 1918, Ilya Repin painted the canvas “Bolsheviks”, the plot of which is called anti-Soviet. For some time it was kept by an American collector, then the “Bolsheviks” ended up in the hands of an American collector. In the 2000s, the owners put the collection up for auction at Sotheby's in London.

To prevent the collection from being fragmented, the Russian businessman bought all 22 paintings, including “The Bolsheviks.” The exposition is exhibited in the city on the Neva.

Personal life

The painter was married twice. The first wife, Vera, gave birth to her husband four children - three daughters and a son. In 1887, after 15 years of marriage, a painful separation followed. The older children stayed with their father, the younger ones with their mother.

Ilya Repin captured his relatives in portraits. In the painting “Rest” he depicted his young wife, dedicated the painting “Dragonfly” to his eldest daughter Vera, and the painting “In the Sun” to his youngest Nadya.

The second wife, writer and photographer Natalya Nordman, broke up with her family for the sake of marriage with Repin. It was to her that the painter went to “Penates” in the early 1900s.

Natalya Nordman, second wife of Ilya Repin

Nordman died of tuberculosis in the summer of 1914. After her death, management of the estate passed into the hands of her daughter Vera, who left the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater.

Death

In 1927, Ilya Repin complained to friends that his strength was leaving him, he was becoming “a complete lazy person.” In the last months before his death, the children were next to their father, taking turns keeping watch at the bedside.

The artist, who celebrated his 86th birthday in August, passed away in September 1930. He was buried in the Penaty estate. There are 4 museums of the artist in Russia and the CIS countries, the most famous is in Kuokkala, where he spent the last three decades.

Works

1871 – “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter”
1873 – “Barge Haulers on the Volga”
1877 – “The Man with the Evil Eye”
1880-1883 – “Religious procession in the Kursk province”
1880-1891 – “The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan”
1881 – “Portrait of the composer M.P. Mussorgsky”
1884 – “We didn’t expect”
1884 – “Dragonfly”
1885 – “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan November 16, 1581”
1896 – “Duel”
1896 – “Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II”
1903 – “The Last Supper”
1909 – “Self-Immolation of Gogol”
1918 – “Bolsheviks”
1927 – “Hopak. Dance of the Zaporozhye Cossacks"