I researched Ilya Repin, and he was mostly a Realist. I say this because he painted country folk in common settings, but also painted lots of conflicts between people. He also painted dramatic works, but he still focuses his characters and settings on Realist and less idealized versions of society andthe people in it. He was impactful in society, especially to Russian and Ukrainian culture. Repin is known for the psychological impacts that his paintings made, and he was called a new interpreter of Russian life. One of his most famous paintings was with Ivan the Terrible and his son and was dramatic and sad, but grotesque and realistic. Repin was one of the first Russian artists to become successful in Europe using only Russian themes and people. He was the leader of the new artistic movement in Russian art called critical realism because he chose to paint nature and characteristics of society over the typically studied formalities. He also criticized the typical sugar-coated versions of society and strived to paint Russian individuals in a more honest and spiritual light. He was very politically active in the Bolshevik and Russian Revolutions, and this showed in his paintings. He felt personally accountable for the rough lives of the common
