The artwork titled “Christ with a bowl” was created by the Russian artist Ilya Repin in 1894. It is an oil painting on zinc that adheres to the principles of Realism, a movement known for its depiction of subjects as they appear in everyday life without embellishment or interpretation. This religious painting measures 101 by 62.5 cm and is currently housed in the Vitebsk Museum of Fine Arts in Vitebsk, Belarus. It can be described as a work that seeks to present a realistic and human portrayal of a sacred subject.
The artwork captures a solemn and introspective figure, assumed to be Jesus Christ, based on the religious painting genre and traditional iconography such as the crown of thorns. He gazes upwards, possibly evoking a moment of divine communication or contemplation. Christ is presented holding a piece of bread in one hand and a chalice in the other, which are elements associated with the Christian Eucharist and symbolize His body and blood. The use of light and shadow in the painting is subtle, with the figure illuminated in a way that suggests a spiritual or heavenly light source. Repin’s precise brushwork underlines the human features and the emotional gravity of the figure, while the soft, diffuse background lends an ethereal quality to the scene. The overall composition and the subject’s upward gaze infuse the artwork with a sense of spirituality and reverence appropriate to its religious theme.
