The Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mahmoud IV
One of Repin’s most complicated paintings, the massive 6 by 11 foot Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks took over a decade to complete. As he worked on the painting, he carefully recorded the years at the bottom edge of the canvas. Without haste, Alexander III, Emperor of Russia, bought the painting for 30,000 roubles, which at the time was the largest sum ever paid for a Russian painting. Although Repin designed the painting to be a comical look at government, it eventually entailed the themes of liberty, fraternity and equality. The painting is now held in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
Albert Bierstadt
1888
