Ilya Repin

About the Artist

Ilya Repin was born in Chuhuiv, Ukraine in 1844 and died in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1930, a Realist painter. Active during the era of the Russian Empire, he drew attention for works depicting social reality. Repin trained at the Imperial Academy of Arts and experienced Impressionism in Paris and Normandy. His artistic world strongly reflects social issues and human emotion, vividly capturing Russian historical events and the hardships of everyday life. 'Barge Haulers on the Volga,' depicting the grueling labor of men hauling barges on the Volga River, is widely known as his signature work. 'Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan' likewise renders a historical event through art, drawing controversy but holding an important place in Russian art history.