The resurrection of the daughter of Jair

The artist is Repin

The Gospel plot had never been specially specified by the Academy to graduates of the Academy, so unusual emotional incarnation in his vitality, as in this thesis of Repin. The topic at first did not carry away the artist until he connected her with the memories of the dead sister’s dead sister.

For several months, Repin was in search of an artistic image of the gospel plot “Resurrection of the daughter of Jair”. In the approved initial graphic sketch stored in the Russian Museum, the composition was built on the image of figures moving from left to right behind Christ, who holds out the arm of the reclining girl. The descriptive academic scheme for building a future picture seemed to Repin insensitive and imperfect. He resolutely changes the approach to the perception of the miraculous scene: the main action is transferred to the left side of the image, the frizes of figures are violated in order to highlight the main semantic center, which closes on the touch of the hands of the standing Christ and the lying daughter of Jair.

Repin discovers the great artistic power of light and shadow in the picture. The finished work is striking in the complex transitions of light -legged and coloristic gradations. Several lighting sources in the picture allow you to emphasize the monumental significance of the mournful moment preceding the miracle. The feeling of solemn silence is complemented by the “Rembrandt” image of Jair, the figures of John, Jacob and Peter in the darkness. The music of Beethoven helped to present the depth of the participants of the gospel scene to the painter, which his brother Vasily performed during the artist’s work on the picture. Repin was the first among contemporaries to show new opportunities for a picturesque and emotional solution of a religious plot.

The tragedy and hope saturate the work of an excited atmosphere, which finds expression in the tension of color sound and lighting contrasts. Plastic, the magnificent image of Christ gives rise to a feeling of the special significance of what is happening. His prototype can be considered Christ Alexander Ivanov in the picture "The phenomenon of Christ the people", But in Repin, he is more simple and human. The harsh solemnity of Christ is opposed by the woeful and reverent expectation of the girl’s parents. The picture is permeated with a single internal action, and this is the main value of its architectonically clear composition.

In terms of the level of picturesque culture and spirituality, this canvas of a young artist stands in a row with the most outstanding works of Russian art. It was awarded a large gold medal and acquired by the Imperial Academy of Arts, and Repin received the right to a pensioner trip abroad.

Mini-excursions in.M.Akhunov