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From the Industrial Revolution to World War I, C. 1850–1914

Late Nineteenth-Century Painting

What was the Russian Realist movement?

As in France, nineteenth-century Russian artists were increasingly critical of the traditional approach to art promoted by the Academy of Arts. In a powerful show of protest, a large group of students, thirteen in total, withdrew from the Academy and formed a group later known as the Peredvizhniki, or “The Wanderers.” The Wanderers preferred art that was socially aware and promoted the values of the Russian working class and peasantry. Common themes in Russian Realist art were peasant scenes, landscapes, and images of the Russian clergy. The group took their art on the road, and traveled to towns and cities that would not normally attend the salons and galleries of St. Petersburg, creating uniquely accessible art. Artist members of “The Wanderers” included Ilya Repin (1844–1930), Vasily Perov (1834–1882), Nikolai Ge (1831–1894), and Ivan Kramskoi (1837–1887), among others.



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