The art of Ilya Repin represents the acme of Russian critical realism. Repin’s characters are living people of his day and the painter’s attitude towards them is that of insatiable interest. Like Perov, Repin not only depicts life, he pronounces judgement on it. Yet, distinct from Perov’s literary narrativeness, Repin tends to give a monumental-epic revelation to his themes.
In Krestny Khod (Religious Procession) in Kursk Gubernia the painter presents a portrait of Russian society of the second half of the 19th century, its strata and social types.
In the human stream, endless as Russia itself, side by side with misery there is true greatness, along with submission there strength, side by with ugliness there is beauty.
Sedate peasants are advancing with measured steps. A fat, indifferent gentlewoman, suffering from the heat, is carrying an icon whose frame is borne reverently by two townswomen. Policemen and guards, some mounted, some on foot, some with whips, some with sticks to keep order, to separate the conceited rich from the wretched poor. Yet true grace, goodness, purity and spiritual greatness is possessed by those whom society has relegated to the lowest status. This is the thought expressed by the painter in the remarkably well depicted figure of the hunchback at the left of the picture.
There is not a single superfluous figure in Repin’s canvas, not a single casual character, everything is large, generalized, everything is moulded with free confident brushstrokes. His manner of painting is unusually flexible, technical difficulties are unknown to this artist, he can do everything.
