Thesis statement: interpretation of the artwork - relates to the visual and factual/textual evidence I will present throughout the essay! (research, in-text citations, paraphrases, description etc)
Description (what is it?)
Use of linear perspective; folk in reference to the barge in the background.
Muted color palette, lots of beige and brown used in the foreground (sand, common folk) blends to blue through the water (and the reflections) and into the sky.
Other than humanity (four boat; two barges, one sailboat, and one steamboat) there are seagulls flying in the sky.
The nearest barge has a russian flag and two people working on it. Their wares are covered in a tarp and their clothing is hung over the side to dry. It has a well decorated lantern on one side, and has richer colors than the barge on the right. e.g. the hull is painted black instead of just left as is.
(Leading me to believe it transports more expensive wares rather than either people or just cheap items)
Footprints can be seen in the sand from previous walks, and there is a package (?) and a (fish catching?) basket (?) sitting on the sand. A similar basket can be found half-buried under the sand nearby.
The “barge-haulers” are wearing threadbare, old clothing, worn out, with lots of holes or stitched together haphazardly. Their faces are dark, either dirty or from the sun etc. They have on woven sandals, and presumably leather or cloth harnesses around their shoulders/chest. The harnesses lead up to the mast of the barge in the midground.
(Which might be a bad idea? Shouldn’t they be tied to something on the main part of the boat? Isn’t this how it might tip over?)
Interpretation (what does it mean?)
General consensus in academia is that it represents the political climate of the time and the revolution that people will hold (the barge haulers), as well as just how down-trodden the lower class is.
I like that interpretation, but I think since it is on the Volga, a place that is a symbol for the country, it could represent the fact that the common folk are the ones pulling the weight around here. The barge could be a symbol for the country, and it is showing that the poorest caste is the one that really drives it.
(the leadership is the minority, and the common folk are the majority.)
I also think that individually the haulers can be seen as people who are stuck in the rhythm of life, have no escape from work and hardship, but have dreams of their own (hence the fact that they are still pulling, and the determined expressions they have, as well as the fact that one of the men on the right is holding a dyed blue cloth(?) which is finery compared to what they are wearing. It can also be seen as a representation of hope for the future.)
The youth on the right is painted in brighter colors and is looking far off into the distance, which can represent either how the youth of the country can change things, or just that he is different from the other folk, someone who has bigger dreams and has the opportunity and determination to try and follow them.
He is also wearing a cross, so it could be showing that God is a way to separate yourself from the “common crowd” and become “better” or “happier.”
I also want to mention that it feels kinda pretentious, seeing as he went on a fun trip with his mates to go paint potentially starving and dying people. It feels like hes taking advantage of them and romanticizing a situation that his movement was trying to show as it truly was. Because the vibe I got when I saw it for the first time was “sensitive”, and it is supposed to be showing the brutality of the lower class life rather than the “beauty.”
Context (why does it matter?)
Works are part of the Peredvizhniki movement (most famous work of the movement) and his work is part of Realism.
“Although the leaders of the Peredvizhniki were conscious of European movements, their own agenda was a Russian one. Among their constant themes were the Russian peasantry, the Russian landscape, and the Russian clergy.”
Gained Repin his renown.
Artwork was purchased by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and displayed in Vladimir Palace. (Today it is displayed in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.)
When he started the painting, the world was still focused on neoclassicism, and nearing the end the techniques started to evolve (Monet) and focused on landscapes or naturalistic themes.
Prior to the start of the Peredvizhniki movement, neoclassicism was all the rage, so when students and (one?) professor dropped out to pursue social realism instead of neoclassicist prompts then it was a big shock, but after getting a good rep and critisicm from Stasov (Vladimir Stasov, well-known and well-respected art and music critic) the movement became very popular and the focus shifted to Realism (to a point, it still wasn’t normalized completely, apparently, but it made a change)
Relate this to the purchase by the Grand Duke, because that shows that while it showed the common folk, it was still “good enough” to be displayed in a palace. (a true change in a different direction for the ideals and thoughts of intellectual people at this time, I reckon)
Source Analysis
(1)
Shimshon, Ariela (2021)
“The Recipe for Success: Repin’s Painting Barge-Haulers on the Volga and Stasov’s Conception of Russian Art”
Shimshon’s interpretation is that the boy on the right symbolizes “youthful rebellion against the mindless surrender of the rest (Shimshon 2021, p. 3).” due to having his head raised, attempting to pull off his hauling strap, and the bright colors used to portray him.
Barge Haulers on the Volga was chosen as a representative of Russian art in the Vienna’s World Fair in 1873, because of the unusual dimensions of the painting (3m wide) and the choice of subject (a simple mundane task). The painting became Repins’ “pictorial trademark” and molded his creative conception due to a positive critique made by Stasov, as well as it’s purchase by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and subsequent first prize at the Society for the Support of Artists held in St. Petersburg.
“For Stasov, The Barge-Haulers was a visual expression of his own ideological expectations. In his multilayered and lyrical description, Stasov focused on specific aspects that he claimed were essential components of a perfect work of Russian art. It was, in fact, in this early publication, that he outlined artistic features that Repin would later repeat time and again throughout his entire career (Shimshon 2021, p. 1).”
“In Grabar’s view, Kramskoi helped Repin develop his independent thinking, while Stasov restricted his outlook and assumed the role of apologist when Repin’s art “clung” to his ideology (Shimshon 2021, p. 2).”
“Other Soviet art historians also acknowledged Stasov’s influence on the Repin. Ilya Zil’bershteyn, for example, noted that Stasov led Repin to choose the genre of ideological realism (Shimshon 2021, p. 2).”
“As Repin himself described in his memoirs, opinions were divided among the viewers who saw the picture in the 1873 exhibition, however, it was Stasov’s article that made Burlaki famous and Repin a national hero. “‘The chief evangelist of the painting [Burlaki] was the noble knight Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov. His first steadfast voice was heard all over Russia, and his proclamation was heard by every Russian. [Stasov’s voice] initiated my reputation throughout mighty Russia’” (Shimshon 2021, p. 6).”
Shimshon, A. (2021) ‘The Recipe for Success: Repin’s Painting Barge-Haulers on the Volga and Stasov’s Conception of Russian Art’, Arts, 10 (4), pp. 1-6, MDPI Open-access Publishing [Online].
Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/10/4/85
(Accessed: 4 December 2022).
(2)
Shiells, Svitlana (2016)
“Ilya Repin Unknown: Ukrainism, Japonisme, and More”
Repin’s work suffered from a lack of impartial criticism due to the fact that he was portrayed as the Father Figure of Russian art. While heavily inspired by Ukrainian culture and art, this was all censored by Russian and Soviet scholars in an attempt to portray him as an indigenous Russian artist and someone to be idealized by the Russian peoples.
However due to his time spent in Western Europe and all the inspiration taken from his homelands it is clear that Repin was “consistently open to Western artistic ideas.”
“Moreover, Russian and Soviet scholars presented Repin as an indigenous Russian artist, avoiding the topic of his Ukrainian roots and the unshakable presence of Ukrainism in his oeuvre, and portraying him as an artist who was immune from any Western influences (Shiells, 2016).”
“This lecture aims to draw attention to these neglected issues, illustrating that Repin’s formidable talent was undoubtedly shaped by Ukraine and its art (Shiells, 2016).”
Ukrainian Research Institute: Harvard University (2016) Ilya Repin’s Ukrainian Heritage, with Svitlana Shiells.
Available At: https://huri.harvard.edu/news/ilya-repins-ukrainian-heritage-svitlana-shiells
(Accessed: 6 December 2022).
(3)
Sternin, Grigori; Kirillina, Jelena (2012)
“Ilya Repin”
Repin separated himself from the current trends of the time to head a new movement, thanks to choosing to portray nature and character, instead of the traditional formalism that was found in Russian academic art.
Barge Haulers on the Volga is a resolute example of realism, seeing as it is “imbued with a deep-rooted pity for the downtrodden (Grigori; Kirillina, 2012).”
“This work is an early, but vivid expression of one of the most valuable qualities found in the creative work of the Russian intelligentsia – a feeling of personal responsibility for the hard lot of the common people and the historical destiny of the country (Grigori; Kirillina, 2012).”
Grigori, S. (2011) Ilya Repin. New York: Parkstone Press.
(4)
Greenberg, Clement (1939)
“Avant-Garde and Kitsch”
Repin’s art is as a whole, the best example for the description of ‘kitsch’. The peasant, should he be found face to face with Picasso and Repin, would choose Repin, for the realism makes understanding the iconography shown easier. If an educated individual was in the same situation, they would pick Picasso, because they would understand that abstraction doesn’t belie meaning. Therefore, Repin’s artwork is easy to digest and understand, making it’s likabiltiy higher (the description of kitsch), while Picasso is a prime example of good art, and people who understand that are on a higher level of standing.
“It is lucky, however, for Repin that the peasant is protected from the products of American capitalism, for he would not stand a chance next to a Saturday Evening Post cover by Norman Rockwell (Greenburg 1939, p. 43).”
“Where Picasso paints cause, Repin paints effect. Repin predigests art for the spectator and spares him effort, provides him with a short cut to the pleasure of art that detours what is necessarily difficult in genuine art. Repin, or kitsch, is synthetic art (Greenburg 1939, p. 44).”
Greenberg, C. (1939) ‘Avant-Garde and Kitsch’, Partisan Review, 6 (5), pp. 34-49.
(5)
Prymak, Thomas (2013)
“A Painter from Ukraine: Ilya Repin”
Barge Haulers on the Volga made Repin’s reputation in Russia, due to it’s depiction of the “dignified depiction of the oppressed Russian people struggling on under a heavy burden, but not without hope for the youth of the country (Prymak 2013, p. 22).” It was also a shift from classical European themes to wholly native Russian ones, or “academism” to “realism”. Thus, considered the innovative painting of it’s time.
“Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, the “realistic” turn to the common people in which Repin participated was to be characteristic of both Ukrainian and Russian art and Repin’s corpus itself was to contain both Ukrainian and Russian popular motifs (Prymak 2013, p. 22-23).”
Prymak, T. (2013) ‘A Painter from Ukraine: Ilya Repin’, Canadian Slavonic Papers, 55 (½), pp. 19-43.
