The artwork titled “Horse for the stones collecting in the Vela,” was created by the artist Ilya Repin in the year 1874. This piece was executed in oil on canvas and belongs to the Realism art movement. The dimensions of the artwork are relatively modest, measuring 28 x 44 cm, and it falls within the genre of animal painting.
In the artwork, the viewer is presented with a solitary horse standing on a beach. The horse carries a saddle and seems to be waiting or resting, hinting at a utilitarian role in collecting stones, as suggested by the title. The background depicts a coastal environment with buildings that appear to be simple and utilitarian, suggestive of a rural or work-oriented setting. The painting is imbued with a strong sense of atmosphere and light, capturing the essence of the seaside with an unembellished, straightforward approach characteristic of the Realist movement to which Repin belonged. The scene is rendered with a palette that evokes the natural hues of the landscape, focusing on the interplay of light and shadow, thereby emphasizing the everyday, unidealized nature of the subject.
