Why it matters
Eleven men haul a barge along the Volga, close to collapse in the heat; only a brightly coloured youth in the middle strains against his harness. Based on people Repin actually met, it drew international praise for its realism and launched his career.
Did you know?
- Repin painted it in 1870–1873.
- It was inspired by scenes he saw while holidaying on the Volga in 1870.
- It has been called perhaps the most famous painting of the Peredvizhniki movement.
Based on the Wikipedia article Barge Haulers on the Volga (CC BY-SA 4.0).
