The artwork titled “Portrait of Ivan Timofeevich Savenkov in his St. Petersburg university student” is a creation of the eminent artist Ilya Repin. Rendered in oil on canvas, this piece is an exemplar of the Realism art movement, focusing on a realistic representation of its subject. Measuring 17 x 11.5 cm, the genre of this work is a portrait, and it is currently held in a private collection.
This particular artwork captures the visage of a young man believed to be Ivan Timofeevich Savenkov, portrayed during his tenure as a student in St. Petersburg. The portrait is head and shoulders, with the subject turned slightly to the right, gazing outward with an expression of reserved contemplation. The lighting is soft yet focused, creating a gentle play of shadows and highlights on the subject’s face and hair, which imparts a three-dimensional effect. The realism in the painting is evident in the meticulous rendering of Savenkov’s facial features, the textures of his skin, and the cloth of his attire. There is a striking naturalism and psychological depth to the portrait, suggesting Repin’s interest in the inner world of his sitter, a characteristic attribute of his portrait works. The background is notably subdued and is painted in such a way that it does not distract from the subject. Instead, it serves to enhance the young man’s features, making him the unequivocal focal point of the composition.
