Repin Ilya Efimovich (1844-1930). Russian painter, teacher, professor, full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. One of the greatest artists of the 19th century and a key figure in Russian realism.
Ilya Repin was born in 1844 in Chuguev, not far from Kharkov. The creative path began with a passion for drawing. In his early youth, the young artist got a job as an apprentice in an icon-painting workshop for a representative of the artistic dynasty, master Ivan Bunakov. A few years later, the artist went to St. Petersburg, where he was going to enter the Academy of Arts. Repin entered the Academy of Arts only the second time. During the eight years of study at the academy, the artist gets to know many representatives of the creative elite of the Northern capital: Repin communicated closely with artists Ivan Kramskoy, whom he called his teacher in his memoirs, and Vasily Polenov, as well as critic Vasily Stasov. For his graduation work, a painting on the biblical motive "The Resurrection of Jairus′s Daughter" Repin received the Great Gold Medal and the opportunity to travel to Europe to study Western European art. After graduating from the academy, the author receives his first large order from the owner of the hotel "Slavianski Bazaar" who invited him to write "Collection of Russian, Polish and Czech composers" to decorate the restaurant. In 1872, he met the patron of art and founder of the Tretyakov Gallery, Pavel Tretyakov, Repin, who willingly fuddles the works of the young artist. In Moscow, the business relationship that had developed between Repin and Tretyakov gradually developed into friendly ones. In 1873, Ilya Repin demonstrates his greatest work, "Barge Haulers on the Volga", on which he worked for several years. In 1876, Repin received the title of academician for the painting "Sadko". In 1884, Repin received the first "state order": he received an offer to paint the painting "Reception of volost elders by Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow." The painting was completed in 1886. In 1885, at the exhibition of the Itinerants, the artist presented the textbook painting "Ivan the Terrible kills his son." In 1894, Repin returned to the Academy of Arts - this time as a teacher. He taught there for 13 years - until 1907. In 1892, an exhibition of Ilya Repin and Ivan Shishkin was held at the Academy of Arts. Her guests saw the painting "The Cossacks are Writing a Letter to the Turkish Sultan" - Repin worked on it for 11 years. The canvas was purchased by Emperor Alexander III. In 1900, Repin bought a small plot of land near St. Petersburg in the Kuokkala dacha area, where he built a comfortable house with a workshop and gave it the name "Penates". Until his death, the artist lived here, continuing to work tirelessly.
The brilliant master died at the age of 86, in 1930, having lived a great life full of work and immense obedience to art.