Leo Tolstoy explained artistry in a few words, “Art is not a pleasure, a solace or an amusement; it is a great matter. Art is an organ of human life transmitting man’s reasonable perception into feeling.” In almost all the forms and periods of artistry, there was an artistic effort that was the consequence of surrounding society, sensibility, and religion. But as I speak of Russian craftsmanship, one fine line differentiated it from every other art form- the blending of the East and West to resolve into a national art that had Oriental and Occidental features. For a country whose national traits were born in the Churches of Constantinople, there was a love of ornamental artworks that ultimately became an inborn national trait. But what started with the invitation for these artists to devote themselves as Christians in the eleventh century sooner turned into historical pictures by the 19th century when the great sentimentalist and realist artist Repin showed the life of Russia through extreme sensitivity and realism, providing a unique insight into the strands that made up Russian art history. With Repin, there were a few more figures from the tumultuous times of the Russian society of the 1860s to 1920s, like Turgeniev, Mussorgsky, Gorky, and others who not only taught and aided but inspired many in the next generations. But what made Repin stand apart? It was his marking as a potent symbol during the three distinct periods, which span more than a hundred years- the rise of the national school, its decline when challenged by nonrealist and cosmopolitan trends, and the cultural isolationism of the Stalinist epoch. Despite holding such importance, there are very few people who actually know about Repin and his great canvases. Today, in this article, I am introducing you to one of his most important paintings, They Did Not Expect Him.
Starting with a brief introduction of the artist, Ilya Repin was a veracious genius whose career and achievements were the story of Russia for a significant time. Among all his canvases, there is a history of the country with all the possibilities, whether eager, baffled effort and sullen, misdirected power, which enriches the viewer with great detail of Russian society. In all his portraits, there is a story, a story of Russia’s leading minds, and his naturalistic and medieval compositions reflected the barbaric past. If I were to describe Repin’s art in two words, I would say “Distinctly Expressive.” His paintings connect well with the viewer, though there are differences in the situation. The artist’s works are both individual and typical at the same time.
Born on 24 July 1844, Repin was the son of a martial father and a gentle and solicitous mother. From the start of his childhood, he used to draw pictures of his sister and her playmates, further cutting these figures out of cardboard and modeling animals in wax. In no time, early at his age, he used to make credible portraits of his relatives and scrupulously copied all the woodcuts and lithographs he saw before him. Though he studied at a communal school at an early age, he soon apprenticed at thirteen to Bunakov, a local painter of sacred images. Making himself progress within three years, he used to receive five to twenty roubles for a religious subject from wealthy villagers. Seeing his talent, many of his comrades suggested he must join the Academy, and Kramskoy, the leader of the new spirit, who paid a visit to Ostrogorsh and brought new fashion and aesthetic ideas. Instead of joining the institute, he spent a year in his preliminary preparation. He met his idol Kramskoy, who took a great interest in his work, often asking him to join him in his house, where he taught him the gospel of reality with absolute magnetism. Ultimately, the following autumn, Repin entered the academy, but he found their routine of copying the old masters cold, which is why he took a new path, a path to show the radiant ideas of freedom and progress. Showing an explicit truthfulness in his renderings, he never loosened the grip of external surroundings or the magic to observe by which he exercised the imperative appeal of his canvases.
Now, before I explain to you the subject matter and meaning of the composition, They Did Not Expect Him, I have to tell you about the historical provenance of the painting, as well as the Russian society at that time. Only bridging both factors will help you understand this painting thoroughly. The most famous paintings of Repin’s career started in the 1880s and were much more influenced by political events. During this time, he moved to St. Petersburg with his family to be closer to the nerve center of Russian politics. He confided to Stasov as he became weary to Moscow;
“Life, Life! Why do painters pass it by?! The Devil may take it, I shall quit all these resurrections of the dead, all these popular ethnographic scenes, move to St. Petersburg, and begin painting pictures on the… most pulsating reality that surrounds us, that is understandable to us, and that excited us more than all the events of the past.”
The 1880s were the most significant years to witness the political developments of Russia, as marked by the revolutionary movement. After the 1860s, the young generation took action; in the 1870s, university students flocked to the countryside to arouse the peasants of the countryside through social work propaganda. But these illiterate and downtrodden peasantry failed to call for liberation and sometimes turned the students over to the police. However, towards the end of this decade, everything changed as the first conspirational circles were formed, and in 1878, political assassinations occurred. In March 1881, Alexander II was assassinated on the streets of Petersburg, which marked the onset of a relentless reaction but the end of the distinct revolutionary decade. During this time, hatred of autocracy was the common principle in Russia, as one of the radical acquaintances, Vladimir Korolenko, wrote,
“I considered his terrorist activity a fatal mistake, but the feelings that have led him and others to this act were close and understandable to me.”
As the political events took a turn of events, the art, and literature reflected it, which is often portrayed. When French politics changed its course, there were revolutions, and I introduced one of the paintings to you, Liberty Leading the People, made by Delacroix, which portrayed its events. Similarly, when Russia faced these revolutions, numerous paintings and literature showcased its dreadfulness. Adding up, Repin sensed this tragedy of which response was more objective, and various first-hand experiences led him to paint some of his famous compositions. Two of the most important paintings were “They Did Not Expect Him” and “Ivan the Terrible.”
It was during the 1880s that he put these two paintings on public display. These compositions tell about Repin’s attitude towards his tropical issue and the symbolic meaning of realist art for the liberals. They Did Not Expect Him was shown at the Twelfth Traveling Exhibit in 1884. When you see the painting at first glance, it looks like a simple entrance of a male figure into a living room with the surprised reactions of his family. But it was far beyond it. It is no surprise that this painting was the talk of the town, and there were no family dinners or gatherings where his work was not heavily debated. Having a sensation in them, this picture struck every single viewer.
They Did Not Expect Him by Ilya Repin has extraordinary craftsmanship as there is a rendering of the light coming through both the open door and the window in a subtle presentation of the situation in a way that it reaches the past and future to leave the painting’s conclusion up to the viewers. The painting is full of depth, which won widespread commendation, but it tugged heart and mind. But what did this painting exactly narrate?
In this composition, a man is entering the living room and a woman in black whose back is turned towards the viewer. Seeing him with shocking but vulnerable eyes; it is not known whether she is his wife or his mother. To our right, there is a woman at the piano, who stops playing, only to turn back and see the man. On the right, the small boy looks hesitantly happy, and the accompanying girl looks briefly judgemental. She does not even raise herself up from the chair. This stopping of the piano and the older one rising from her chair set a question, “Do we witness the end of one tragedy or the start of a new one?” At the same time, the cook at the door looks resistant as she holds the door handle even after opening it with slight anger in her eyes. In addition, the woman (maid) to her back stopped as she passed by to carry on her chores but stopped to see the unexpected visitor.
There are no definite answers to the question that exactly what Repin showed here and what were his intentions. But there are four circumstances in this single canvas- an equivocal mood of the nation and how Repin sensed it; the uncertainty in the artist’s mind to portray radicals; Repin’s decision to connect the theme of revolutionary movement in Russia with Western art theme; and an interpretation to remove his subject from immediate circumstances. The painting takes a few components from Velázquez’s Las Meninas as both compositions have similar placement of door openings into the room mirrors. Both compositions share similar intrigue of the figures at their doors as if wondering what is happening inside. If I were to comment on the psychological setting of the composition They Did Not Expect Him, then it shows a similar resemblance with Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus as both the artists, Velázquez and Repin left the viewers to decide on the story behind the canvas.
Talking about the expression of the central figure, Repin left an uncertainty with a deep insight into the subject. The painting has a situational drama linked with the personal tragedy of the central figure, but what is it exactly? In the background, the artist shows the pictures of Golgotha hangings by Karl Schteiben to underscore the revolutionary’s lot, and lastly, there is a symbolism of the crucified Christ by the two beams of the light intersecting at the exilee’s feet.
Opinions and Conclusions.
This painting is a marking of the Repin’s heart, which was fierce, fearless, and exultant. Through the many figures with their different facial expressions, it is possible that the artist might have conveyed his state of mind at different moments of the political surge of Revolutionary Russia. While there is confusion, sympathy, suffering, fierce dilemma, anger, and surprise as well, there is also hope through the light of the window and door making the Christ cross. There is a thematic connection in the painting with the returning exile and the mortally wounded central figure. To me, it seems that the central figure just reached back from exile, as visible by his rugged clothes and mud-packed shoes with his hat closer to his heart as if he just removed it from his head, and of course, the mixed reactions of his family. What do you think about this painting?
Resources.
- Featured Image: They Did Not Expect Him by Ilya Repin; Ilya Repin, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Russia, Past and Present by Anatole Gregory Mazour.
- Ilya Repin and the World of Russian Art (Studies of the Harriman Institute) by Elizabeth Valkenier.
- Modern Artists by Christian Brinton.
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