They recognized in his work the beginnings of a creative search which was to enrich the general development of critical realism in European art. Even early on in his career, the artist’s pictures attracted the attention of critics at international exhibitions. For twenty-five years, every new picture by Repin was awaited with bated breath, and the publication of his essays, especially those written at the turn of the century, always caused a stir in the cultural life of the country.Īcutely aware of the social problems of his day and in tune with the restless spirit of the times, Repin produced works that contained all the essential features of late-nineteenth-century Russian realism and it was in part thanks to him that Russian art came to play a significant role in European culture. Repin’s position in the world of pictorial art was comparable to that of Leo Tolstoy in the world of letters. Ilya Repin enjoyed more fame and recognition during his lifetime than any other Russian artist born in the nineteenth century.