|
(art
history and lesson suggestions below)
ILYA
REPIN
(1844-1930)
Ilya Repin
(pronounced EEL-yuh RAY-pin) was born in Chuguev, Russia, at a time when
millions of people lived under a system known as serfdom - they
were virtually slaves to the land, legally bound generation after generation, to
occupations which were prescribed for them by the government. Basically, there
were two main classes of society: the peasants and the nobility. Ilya's father
was known as a military serf, which meant that much of his time was spent
away from home at wars, so his mom was the primary caretaker of, not only the
children, but also the farmland and the house maintenance.
After reading some points about
Ilya's life below, perhaps you will recognize God's intervention in this man's
life also. I will explain my insights afterwards.
-
Born to a peasant family.
-
Deeply religious mother, who
taught Ilya how to read with the Bible. Also formed a small school for the
peasant children in their village to teach them to read.
-
At 11 years old, Ilya was
enrolled in a school to learn mapmaking & calligraphy.
-
By 1861, serfdom was
abolished, however the class structure was still very strong. Ilya was now
15.
-
Between the ages of 13 & 15,
he apprenticed under an icon painter. An icon is a painting of
a religious subject matter by an Orthodox believer, following very strict
traditions.)
-
By the time he was only 15, Ilya
was good enough to work on his own as an icon painter.
-
He joined a group of craftsmen
(painters, woodcarvers, gilders) who would travel around repairing the
insides of Greek or Russian churches, where many elaborate icon paintings
and carvings were.
-
During the travels, peasants
would shower the craftsmen with gifts and food to show their gratitude for
the fine work they did. Because of this, Ilya began to realize the powerful
effect art had on those who viewed it.
-
Because of his strong
determination to study hard, and his superbly respected talent, at
age 20, Ilya was excepted to the highly notable "Imperial Academy of
Art", located in Petersburg. While in the academy, he focused
primarily on studying anatomy, perspective and by copying old Masters. He
especially enjoyed the works of Rembrandt and Velasquez.
-
At 26, (in 1871) Ilya won the
top metal for his painting Raising of Jairus'
Daughter, which entitled him to receive a subsidized European
study. He then, also, studied in France and Italy.
-
About the same time period, Ilya
Repin had completed his very famous work on The
Barge Haulers, which was chosen as the Russian entry in the
Vienna International Exhibit in 1873, a very great honor for an artist,
especially one so young.
-
The Impressionistic movement
in France was growing strong and Ilya tried its technique, however, Ilya was
very strong in tradition and discipline. He was not very fond of what he
referred to as "...painters
who chucked paint at the canvas..." He viewed
Impressionism as a harmful "...mania for
abolishing authorities that had marked the 1860s and the effort to
eradicate all traces of the European craft of painting." He
strongly stressed the importance of tradition and denounced the new artists
as "talentless boors" or "psychologically
sick individuals"...who are being..."deliberately
decadent." Among such strong opposition to the straying
away from tradition, Ilya also mentioned God, the Master Artist: "...Art
is God's most superb gift to man, his holy of holies. And here is the devil
creeping into this holy of holies, cynically spitting on the essence of
beauty, life, and nature."
-
Politically, Repin lived during
an extraordinary time period. There was much turmoil, which ultimately ended
in communism. Inefficient czars with lavish lifestyles ran the government,
with a large chasm between enormously wealthy nobility and peasants who
lived in filth and poverty, with very little rights.
-
There was press and artistic
censorship, and many went to jail. At about this time, Ilya had painted two
pictures which dealt with such living situations. They were They
Did Not Expect Him and The
Propagandist's Arrest.
-
It is more than likely that
Ilya's great talent and his balanced approach with people (don't forget, he
had been born a peasant and grew to live and work among the nobles) were the
reasons he was able to so-call "get away" with some of his
political paintings. Both sides of the political scene appreciated his
talent, and so desired him to paint their ideas.
-
Because of his country's
disarray, he appreciated more and more in his later years how important the
church was to the people. He said "...I am
discovering that the church is a great standard of the people and that
nobody has ever brought the people together as has the Church..."
-
In his last years, it is evident
that the hope in Christ was something he cherished. Communism was a dreadful
suffering to the people of Russia in which, no doubt, Ilya suffered greatly
as well. He turned frequently to the Bible for themes and ideas to paint.
His last large painting was called Golgotha. In
this depiction of Christ's death, the masterful artist portrays two
thieves still on their crosses as stray dogs lick the blood on the ground
beneath them. The third cross is unoccupied, lying on the ground. In the
background is the tomb with the stone rolled away. From its dark entryway, a
tiny light flickers.
I was impressed with the incredible
success in Ilya Repin's life, relative to his humble beginnings. I am encouraged
with the amount of influence he had on a society that basically wasn't allowed
to talk. He "spoke" through his art. And because he was so gifted in
it, the messages were loud and clear.
He was a man of determination and
strength. He overcame many obstacles that most of us today would probably not
bother with. He boldly spoke his thoughts of God when the popular fads of the
day were growing strongly against such topics. Though, for the most part, Ilya
Repin was largely isolated for his stand against a changing society, there were
a few other artists who also felt that the Impressionist movement may have
inadvertently damaged the craft of painting. Two of them were Mary
Cassatt and Edgar Degas.
I appreciate, so much, the example
Ilya gives to us regarding his outspoken opinion of God's beauty and perfect
design. A true artist is one who can capture such beauty and put it on to paper,
and that is certainly what Ilya Repin did!
More than likely, we as a society
would have been influenced far more by Ilya Repin's work had it not been for the
"Iron Curtain", which the Russian culture had been confined under the
rule of communism for much of the 20th century. Yet, with all the hardships and
restrictions in his life, Ilya excelled far beyond most people of his day (and
probably most people of today!). Even though he excelled from "rags to
riches", he never forgot his God.
 You
can find more details about Ilya Repin's life and also view many of his
paintings, including ones mentioned above, on Olga's
Gallery at www.abcgallery.com/R/repin/repin87.html
, to which much of my interest has been spurred.
Lesson
Suggestions
Viewing the artist's beautiful work
is always a good beginning to introducing an unknown historical figure. In this
lesson, you may want to briefly discuss the political situation of the times,
how people suffered regarding the loss of so much of their freedoms, as well as
the geographical position of Russia. In the cold months of winter, perhaps they
may get a little feel for the area.
If you decide to use one of Ilya's
paintings for a subject to challenge the young artists with, they should be
somewhat familiar with anatomy drawing since most of his work focused on people.
You may just take a portion of a painting. You may have them pick from a few of
his works. Do not exasperate the students. Allow them to appreciate a great
artist.
You might take
a completely different approach. -
Russia is a very
cold country. You may choose to turn the attention of the students to wintery-white
techniques, depicting snow and all its effects. If you are fortunate enough to
see snow on the ground as your lesson is taught, be sure the students observe
the way the light hits it, with all the glistening shine. Don't be tempted to
give them a dark paper so they can add white to it. Try giving them a white one
so they can really use their imaginations. Remind them of the 5 basic
elements of art, as God has created. (see
art archives)
Snow is smooth for
the most part, but can be rough or rocky in areas as well. Try using a dry brush
or a stipple effect... perhaps thumb prints or a cotton ball...maybe a piece of
tissue paper can be squeezed tightly and dabbed into the paint and then on to
the paper. OR.. maybe
just traditional brush stokes, with added tones for value, can create the effect
they want. Unlike the restrains of Ilya, your students are free to explore. - How
can they get the white paint to resemble, in some way, this beautiful creation
of God's - snow?
Comments,
suggestions or questions, contact Jane@HisGlory.us
|
