The artwork titled “Hunchback” is a creation of the celebrated artist Ilya Repin, dated 1881. Crafted with sepia on paper, it adheres to the Realist movement, an art form focused on representing subjects truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding artistic conventions or implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements. The piece is a portrait with dimensions measuring 32.5 x 23.5 cm and resides in the Tretyakov Gallery located in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork presents a poignant portrait of a solitary individual, possibly suggesting a life of physical and emotional weight. The figure is slouched with a pronounced curvature in the back, an attribute that serves as the focal point and lends the work its title. The subject’s facial expression, imbued with a contemplative gaze, captures an air of resignation or deep thought, conveying the undercurrent of human emotion and condition typical to the Realist genre. The sepia tones give the piece a subdued and muted palette, emphasizing the somber and reflective mood of the subject. The adept use of shading and detail allows Repin to imbue the portrait with a tangible sense of texture, particularly within the clothing of the figure and the nondescript background that envelops the scene. Overall, the artwork serves as a powerful testament to Repin’s skill in portraying the dignified grace within the lives of ordinary people, consistent with the ethos of the Realist movement.
