The Russian School of Painting
starts can be more properly explained by a certain "confusion" of which the artist was possessed.
Only two of Repin's historical paintings are not covered by this general characteristic: these are the "Ivan the Terrible and his Son" and the "Zaporogian Cossacks." However, neither of these pictures can,
with any truth, be considered "historical." On the other hand, "human interest" is not the main element of the first canvas. It is true that this time Repin succeeded in raising the expression of pathos to the degree of genuine horror. Yet the dominating elements here are the colours and the painting. Swept away by his subject, Repin executed his picture with a fire, with a mastery of brush and colour, which are not to be found in his other works. Similarly, the theme of the "Cossacks," the story of how the Zaporogian Cossacks sent a jeering reply to the Sultan, has an interest for us inasmuch as it suggested his painting to Repin. One can fully enjoy this work without going to the catalogue for information. What the particular cause of the Cossacks' merriment may be, is of no importance whatever. It is not the past that Repin depicted this time. He is a Cossack himself, and he has observed similar scenes from his very childhood. He had only to gather together his impressions into one ensemble and make sketches from nature.
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