What a scope, Ilya Efimovich Repin – description of the painting

Description of the picture:

What a scope – Ilya Efimovich Repin. 1903. Oil on canvas. One hundred seventy nine x 284.5

One of the most controversial works of Ilya Repin – the picture “What a scope!”. And the contradiction here lies in the attitude of the public to the canvas: the artist succumbed to a fleeting mood, creating a picturesque emotional plot, but critics broke out, accusing Repin of frivolously following Western impressionists, or even even seeing some kind of revolutionary allegories in the work. The society complained – the artist, who created the monumental “Burlakov”, “Ivan the Terrible”, was carried away by some sort of romantic date.

Meanwhile, the work is devoid of subtexts and hidden meanings. The painting was painted on the estate of the painter – in Penates. The main characters are a girl and a student, taken aback by a sudden storm. The author masterfully conveyed the raging waves that spill over with white crests, exposing the murky green waters of the sea.

But where is the fear of the raging elements? Where is the alarm? She is not! The girl bent under powerful gusts of wind, carefully holding her hat, ready to be torn off her head, but she smiles at the occasion. And the young man opened the floors of his overcoat, spread his arms to the elements, turning his head to his companion. He rejoices, he is free! Perhaps he recites some verses, or maybe something grandiloquent comes off his lips.

The painter’s technique is really close to the impressionist one, however, such an uneven brushstroke only contributed to the realistic embodiment. Few would argue that in the image of the sea Repin is quite worthy of the most famous marine painter Aivazovsky. The texture, character, dynamics – the element is very emotional and true. The stronger the impression of the reaction to her brave young people.

The criticism of Stasov drew a line to all the gossip about the hidden meanings of the picture, who saw in the work the mighty power of Russian youth, ready to withstand and meet with a smile all the hardships and possible troubles."

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