Artwork
A peasant with an evil eye.
A peasant with an evil eye. is an oil painting by the Realist artist Ilya Repin. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1889 by Ilya Repin, this oil painting portrays an elderly peasant rendered with meticulous realism. The work is part of the Tretyakov Gallery’s holdings and exemplifies Repin’s focus on the everyday lives of rural people during the late nineteenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas centers on a weathered man with a long gray beard, dark blue shirt, and a pronounced nose. His gaze is directed downward, lending the figure an introspective, solemn air that suggests contemplation of personal hardship or cultural superstition associated with the ‘evil eye.’
Technique & Style
Repin employs a restrained palette of warm golds for the background and deep shadows that model the face through chiaroscuro, creating a three‑dimensional presence. Fine brushwork captures the texture of skin, wrinkles, and hair, while the contrast between light and dark emphasizes the intensity of the subject’s eyes despite their downward focus.
History & Provenance
After its completion, the painting entered the collection of Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery, where it has remained on public display. Its acquisition reflects the institution’s commitment to representing Russian realist art and Repin’s stature within the national artistic canon.
Context
The work belongs to the broader Realist movement that sought to depict ordinary people without idealization. Repin, born in what is now Ukraine, often turned his attention to peasant life, using his art to comment on social conditions and cultural beliefs prevalent in the Russian Empire of the 1880s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ilya Yefimovich Repin (5 August 1844 – 29 September 1930) was a Ukrainian-born Russian painter.
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