IVAN TURGENEV (detail), 1874 (oil on canvas)

1874//Oil on canvas Ivan Turgenev was, even during his lifetime, considered one of the greatest Russian authors of the 19th century. A champion of literary realism, he lived almost all his life in France, forced into exile by his progressive writings, and died in his dacha in Bougival. Turgenev rubs shoulders with literary All-Paris and makes Tolstoy known. It was therefore with enthusiasm that Repin received in Paris the commission for the portrait of the writer from the Moscow collector Pavel Tretyakov. In 1870, the latter began the collection of a series of portraits of the great figures of the Russian nation. This prestigious commission opened the doors of Turgenev's house in Repin but also that of his friend the singer Pauline Viardot, whose salon was then very popular. Unfortunately, neither the model nor the sponsor were satisfied with the portrait.