The artwork “D.V. Karakozov” was created by the esteemed artist Ilya Repin in 1866. It is an exemplar of the Realism art movement, and its genre is that of a portrait. The artwork portrays the figure with an economy of detail that nevertheless conveys a rich sense of character and presence.
In this portrayal, the subject is depicted in a three-quarter view with his head turned slightly to face the viewer. The expression is stern and introspective, capturing an essence of contemplation or concern. Repin renders the features with confident, sketchy lines, indicative of the artist’s ability to distill character with minimal strokes. The attire, consisting of a jacket and a peaked cap, is suggested with brisk, hatched lines that evoke texture and form without elaborate detail. The background is sparse, accentuating the figure and his visage.
The portrait bears the hallmarks of Ilya Repin’s artistic mastery, and its placement within the Realism movement is affirmed by the straightforward representation of the individual, devoid of romantic embellishment. This work embodies the Realist ethos of depicting subjects in a true-to-life manner, focusing on the authentic and the observable.
