| By the end of the first half of the 19th Century, | | | | by backbreaking labor were clearly recognizable in |
| Russian intellectuals supported the need for reform in | | | | these two paintings.The Date is particularly |
| Russia. Russia had entered the age of capital | | | | remarkable. When viewing the painting, you can |
| development. Influenced by the liberal ideas of | | | | sense the same strain and emotional disconnect that |
| Chernyshevsky and Belinski, the Itinerant movement | | | | you find in On the Boulevard. At first glance nothing |
| established the first Free Society of Artists in Russia. | | | | seems askance in either painting. You sense nothing |
| The founding of the Itinerant's movement was a | | | | amiss due to the lack of action or covert tension. |
| measure calculated to express the need for rejection | | | | You see two people sitting on a bench - one of |
| of the social order in Tsarist Russia. The objectives | | | | them a young woman with a child, newly arrived |
| of the Itinerants were: | | | | from the village to visit her husband. Her husband |
| - the enlightenment of the people by affording them | | | | sitting beside her has become a foreigner to his |
| the opportunity to learn about the new Russian art; | | | | family and apparently has been so for sometime. The |
| - the aesthetic objective of forming a new artistic | | | | more you look the more you see of a tragedy |
| sense and taste; | | | | slowly unfolding before your very eyes. The viewer |
| - the economic objective of attracting new buyers | | | | becomes aware of the contrast between the |
| in order to have a market for the new art. Itinerants | | | | interplay of the people and the surrounding beauty of |
| (Peredvizhniki) List: I.Shishkin, N.Ghe (Gay), V.Perov, | | | | an August day on an old Moscow street, oblivious to |
| I.Kramskoi, I.Repin, V.Surikov, G.Myasoedov, | | | | the tragedy between the husband and wife.The |
| Kamenev, A.Savrasov, Amosov, Ammon, M.P.Klodt, | | | | oldest artist among the itinerants was Vasiliy Perov. |
| M.K.Klodt, Pryanishnikov, A. Bogolyubov, Gun (Huns), | | | | His creativity played a special role in the establishment |
| V.Makovskiy, N.Makovskiy, K.Makovskiy, V.Maksimov, | | | | of Russian realism. In his painting Religious Procession |
| K.Bryullov, K.Savitskiy, A.Kuindji, Bronnikov, | | | | on Easter that belongs to his early period, we can |
| V.Vasnetsov, A.Vasnetsov, Litovchenko, Lemokh, | | | | find a critical tendency, a typical feature of early |
| V.Polenov, Volkov, Leman, Nevrev, Kharlamov, | | | | realism. He criticizes priests that are to bring the faith |
| Kuznetsov, Bodarevskiy, N.Dubovskoy, Svetoslavskiy, | | | | to the people but actually do not deserve to be the |
| N.Shil'der, Arkhipov, I.Levitan, I.Ostrouhov, Zagorskiy, | | | | Lord's pupils. Following a period of creativity, Perov |
| Lebedev, Stepanov, Pozen, Kasatkin, Miloradovich, | | | | tried to avoid a rude unmasking of people's sins and |
| Shanks, V.Serov, Bogdanov-Bel'skiy, I.Bogdanov, | | | | defects. He starts telling a sad story of |
| A.Korin, Endogurov, Nesterov, Baksheev, Orlov, | | | | contemporary reality. Seeing -off the Deceased is a |
| Kostandi.With the onset of the itinerant movement, | | | | story in art in which we can see the image of a |
| new terms to describe Russian art began to be | | | | peasant woman free from idealization. Her fate gains |
| heard. Phrases such as "enlightening," "aesthetic | | | | the sympathy and compassion of the viewer. The |
| objective," "economic objective," "new," "fresh," "for | | | | landscape in an artist's paintings starts playing a |
| the first time" were heard all over the country. This | | | | specific role in setting the mood of the whole |
| was the first time in the history of the Russian world | | | | painting. In the 1870s, Perov changed from sad and |
| of art that the subject matter was rich and | | | | tragic subjects. He started depicting common people |
| expansive. The method used by these artists was to | | | | happy with their simple human joy and hobbies. He |
| conduct traveling art exhibits in Moscow, St. | | | | depicted fishermen, hunters on the holt, and |
| Petersburg, and other large cities throughout Russia. | | | | bemused duck hunters.The creative heritage of Ilya |
| This set the Itinerants on a collision course with the | | | | Repin plays a special role in genre painting and in |
| forces of the Academy and set the stage for an | | | | Russian art as a whole. He is considered to be the |
| entirely new type of art. Russian art has never | | | | most talented and famous Russian painter. His |
| looked back. Everyone in Russia became involved in | | | | interests in painting were pointed mainly to |
| the conflict. Critics, artists, academics, newspapers, | | | | contemporary subjects. He was interested in all |
| politicians, and even the common people could not let | | | | aspects of Russian reality, but his talent was more |
| the matter rest. Exhibition halls became battlegrounds | | | | fully revealed in genre and portrait painting. His works |
| between the new and the old. Today it is difficult to | | | | can be considered as an encyclopedia of Russian life |
| understand that the emotion of the times and the | | | | with its heroes and events. His first famous painting, |
| results of the movement clearly shook the forces of | | | | Barge Haulers on the Volga, painted while he was a |
| empire to their very depths.The itinerant artists | | | | student of the Academy of Fine Arts, showed his |
| themselves were from all walks of life and age. Some | | | | talent and characteristic manner of work. Unlike the |
| were peasants, and some were of the nobility, but all | | | | artists who had treated this subject before, Repin |
| were united in a single goal. That goal was to depict | | | | was much more interested in the participants of the |
| life in Russia as it really was. The difference between | | | | scene. He wanted the viewers to see their fates and |
| this path and Classicism and Romanticism was that | | | | personalities more than the hard labor they were |
| for the first time painting was focused on present | | | | forced to perform. He was the first in the history of |
| day reality. The artist's hand was freed from the | | | | art who tried to peer into people's faces to |
| restrictions of lofty ideals. Painting reflected events | | | | understand who they were. For the first time a |
| and the contradictions of Russian society. The lives | | | | common Russian man was depicted as a hero of |
| of common Russian people including their struggles | | | | artistic work. He didn't idealize his heroes but tried to |
| against oppression were revealed through art. The | | | | demonstrate their personality. For the first time |
| love of the Russian people for their country and its | | | | people could see a group portrait of miserable and |
| nature was deified, and for the first time, paintings | | | | humiliated Russian people.Such an artist's aspiration to |
| were free of social prejudice. One must be aware | | | | concentrate attention on the psychology of the |
| that all the while Russia, unlike other Western | | | | bargemen was always Repin's characteristic feature. |
| European countries, was a land where the political | | | | Another illustration of this was his painting Religious |
| freedom to express oneself was strictly prohibited. | | | | Procession in Kursk Province. This painting is very |
| Free expression was prohibited almost to the point | | | | typical of Repin and is remarkable for its |
| of non-understanding in this country. It was only in | | | | characteristic details of that time. Being a talented |
| the field of the arts (painting, literature, music, | | | | artist he had a wonderfully keen feeling of the main |
| theater, etc.) that there was any possibility self | | | | idea that needed to be expressed. One of the |
| expression. This led the Itinerants to feel as if they | | | | features of art of the 1870-80s was the tendency |
| were given a special responsibility to effect change. | | | | to create big monumental works whereby a person |
| The artists willingly took on this mission as a sacred | | | | viewing the one life depicted on the canvas could |
| duty. The great Ilya Repin wrote that artists come | | | | analyze present day reality and see the whole |
| from the people and that the people expect art that | | | | historical epoch of the Russian people. This technique |
| reflects a clear understanding of conditions and | | | | illustrated that genre painting proved to be as |
| nature.This generation of Itinerants tried to analyze | | | | powerful and as important as historical painting. Genre |
| and determine what art was and what role it played | | | | paintings illustrated the life of the Russian province, in |
| in social life. The great Russian art critic Vladimir | | | | both events and in human portraits. The action in |
| Stasov defined this aspiration as follows: "The artists | | | | Religious Procession in Kursk Province takes place in a |
| striving to unite to setup their own society were not | | | | province famous for its dense forests, but in the |
| doing it for the purpose of creating beautiful paintings | | | | picture we can see only stumps left after the trees |
| and statues for the sole purpose of earning money. | | | | had been cut down. Modern man's activity resulted in |
| They were striving to create something for the | | | | the destruction of nature. We see crowds of people |
| minds and feelings of the people." This is why | | | | marching along the dusty road.The composition was |
| arguments that arose at the exhibition halls were | | | | arranged in such a way that we almost feel the |
| concerned with far more than pure artistic | | | | crowd moving forward, about to crush the spectator. |
| arguments. The artists themselves were of varying | | | | Real religious faith can be read on the faces of |
| talent, and different painting genres, but as members | | | | heroes depicted on the left of the canvas and |
| of the Society became "Universal Artists," who | | | | especially in the face of the hunchback on the |
| worked in different forms of art. For example, the | | | | foreground. Note that he is pushed aside by the |
| most talented of the Itinerants (Repin, shishkin, and | | | | policeman riding a horse because this poor cripple |
| others) worked in both painting and drawing. As a | | | | might disturb rich people proceeding along the road. |
| result of their efforts, easel drawing stopped being | | | | (Didn't Christ say we are all equal before him?) The |
| merely preparatory work for future paintings and | | | | painting shows us two extremes: superficial, cold, |
| developed into an independent form of art.Other | | | | hypocritical religious feelings on the right half and true |
| examples of multi-talented artists include artists such | | | | believers in God in the left half of the painting. These |
| as Vasiliy Polenov and Victor Vasnetsov. These two | | | | people are rejected by this insincere society on the |
| Itinerants worked, not only as easel painters, but | | | | left part of the painting. By paying such attention to |
| each also devoted a great deal of time in reviving | | | | the individuality of a person, Repin displays the great |
| theater scenery painting thus laying the foundation | | | | variety of types and characters of his heroes. In the |
| for the tradition of Russian theater decor that | | | | foreground we see a rich merchant woman avidly |
| reached its peak at the turn of the 19th and 20th | | | | holding a icon. She is drawn into arrogance, clearly |
| Centuries. This effort was done in conjunction with | | | | breaking a main tenet of Christianity. We can spend |
| artists of another artistic society, the World of Art. | | | | hours examining the painting whereby the motley |
| Vasnetsov, among others, also created many mural | | | | crowd is represented as an integral part of the |
| paintings for churches. Being universal artists, many | | | | Russian people.Painting present day reality, Repin |
| Itinerants worked successfully in other genres. Ivan | | | | managed to reveal a new social phenomena by using |
| Kramskoi, Nikolai Ghe, Ilya Repin, and Vasiliy Surikov | | | | new participants. He was an artist forever seeking |
| were fine portraitists and history theme painters. | | | | new subjects, themes, images and means of |
| Polenov was an historical painter as well as a | | | | expression. Many times in his paintings he addressed |
| landscapist. Nikolai Yaroshenko worked in portrait, | | | | new social and political moods and, of course, |
| landscape, and genre painting. In spite of | | | | revolutionary events. The policy of terror carried out |
| multi-talented artists that worked in many genres, | | | | by several revolutionary organizations entailed cruel |
| one must not forget, subjects and heroes, the | | | | murders of some prominent politicians and the |
| images of Russian nature and human destiny always | | | | assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1881. This |
| remained the main themes of their creativity. While | | | | consequently resulted in extremely strict and bloody |
| working on these motifs each artist revealed his own | | | | responses by the Government. As the country |
| understanding of the fundamental problems of human | | | | became more and more submerged in the blood of |
| existence.In order to comprehend the work of the | | | | innocent victims, the attitude towards revolutionaries |
| Itinerants more fully, one must examine some of the | | | | gradually changed in the society. Art in this matter |
| new tendencies brought by the Itinerants to Russian | | | | absorbed and reflected all topical ideas. Initially |
| art. Genre painting was the primary method of | | | | revolutionary activity was often compared with the |
| bringing realism to Russian art though it was not new | | | | excruciating life and death of the saints of the Gospel |
| for Russian art in the whole. The range of themes | | | | who sacrificed their lives for faith. Repin was |
| represented here was extremely wide, embracing | | | | affected by these ideas, and he painted his Refusal |
| studio works depicting everyday life in the city and | | | | to Confess which glorified fanatical ideas of the |
| peasant life in the country. In some instances huge | | | | day.Afterwards he conceived the idea of another |
| paintings were created in order to accomplish these | | | | work They did not expect him, a story about the |
| goals.Before serfdom was abolished by the reform | | | | return of an exiled convict. The interesting thing is |
| act of 1861, peasants had belonged to a landlord. The | | | | that originally Repin planned for a woman to be the |
| liberation of the serfs entailed many new problems in | | | | main actor in the painting, as women were fighting |
| society. The serfs were freed but were not given | | | | for these new ideas next to men. Later the artist |
| the right to own land. Therefore, they had no means | | | | gave up this idea having considered that it would add |
| of support. Many serfs fled to the cities and into the | | | | some sentimental aspect to the painting. Besides, he |
| arms of a miserable existence. They were no longer | | | | realized that the question of the main hero was not |
| peasants but they did not find acceptance in the | | | | so relevant compared to the subject itself. Terrorists |
| cities. They were no longer able to always maintain | | | | were ready to die for the sake of the idea and for |
| the ties that had previously bound them to their | | | | the sake of their loved ones. Did these loved ones |
| families. The villages they left behind had also | | | | want such a sacrifice to be made? How did relatives |
| changed. Customary ways of making a living were | | | | meet these returning anarchists after being |
| changed forever, and again family relations were | | | | separated for decades? Repin's contemporaries |
| affected. The peasantry became very | | | | usually associated this painting with the parable of the |
| heterogeneous and in some cases were able to | | | | return of the prodigal son. None of the artists |
| engage in cottage industry that changed their | | | | expressed an opinion, thus making the viewer decide |
| relationship with the local nobility. A classic painting by | | | | the destiny of the hero.Bloody events of reality had |
| Maximov, The Division of the Family Property is a | | | | not always been reflected directly in genre painting. |
| sterling example of this change in Russian lifestyles. | | | | The background of Repin's Ivan the Terrible and his |
| Vladimir Makovskiy, a very prolific artist dedicated his | | | | son Ivan was an expression of the artist's feeling of |
| creative works to a reflection of urban life. His | | | | the atmosphere and smell of spilled blood in the room |
| paintings The Date and On the Boulevard are perhaps | | | | where Ivan the Terrible is holding the head of his son. |
| his two best works. By depicting ordinary life he | | | | A son he had just struck in the head with a stave |
| managed to reflect the deepest tragedies of | | | | and murdered in a fit of temper. Another painting |
| contemporary society. The poverty of the most | | | | Nicholas from Mirl, calls for love and forgiveness and |
| vulnerable members of society children and their | | | | shows us how the main hero, Saint Nikolai, intervenes |
| miserable existence, mothers being doomed to the | | | | at an execution and saves the lives of people |
| worst, the estrangement of sons totally exhausted | | | | sentenced to death.Continue in Part IIMichael E. |