Review Of Ilya Repin's Painting 'They Did Not Expect Him'

Wuytenburg 1
Brittany Wuytenburg
Maria Koutovenko
RUSN 1020
13 November 2015
“They Did Not Expect Him” The history of Russia is filled with all sorts of dramatic and heroic moments. It also has its fill of heartbreak and bloodshed. What makes Russian history so unique is how strong of a country is it even after the hundreds of years of revolution it has seen. The constant change that Russia has undergone and yet its resistance to keep its culture makes it a very independent country. Ilya Repin’s painting “They Did Not Expect Him”, is a token of how much a country can undertake and yet still be strong. The painting depicts the struggle of the Russian people but also how they have managed to strive forward know matter what obstacles get in
The struggle of Ivan the Terrible’s constant blood shed of his people, then the changes that Peter the Great created when he westernized Russia, and the many other drastic changes that Russia has survived seem to all be represented in this man. A fighter who is tired, hungry and looking just to settle back home. This is just one layer of people that this man has represented, the mother getting out of her chair add an entire new layer to the painting. The man’s mother seem to be getting out of her chair, staring at the man in shock. She is dressed all in black and bent over from age. This frail woman does not seem significant because her face is blocked so her expression cannot be seen. This may seem like a disadvantage but the representation that can come from this woman is great. She represents the past that cannot and has not been seen. So much of history gets swept under the rug and left behind because the future seems brighter and better. As this woman is getting up to greet her long lost son, it provides insight into that famous saying as said by Dr. Carl Sagan “You have to know the past to understand the present.” So much is based on moving forward but the uncertain past has to be understood and respected in order to move forward. The advancement of them other towards her son proves that it can be a comfort to understand what happened before us in order to move forward with
The smile that is painted across his face is excitement since he probably has been waiting for this day for a long time. The future of Russia has a similar outlook. There is hesitation as to what will happen in the future and how such a huge country of tradition will survive with the forwarding world. The other side is the Russian spirit that carries through with positivity and never giving up, which the countries people have done for many years. Know matter what trouble has come the Russian people have trudged forward and not stopped with what they believed in. This can be seen from the St. Petersburg not surrendering the city during WWII. So much of Russian history is about going forward, and though there is hesitation, they still do it with