Memory of the great Russian painter Ilya Repin is eternalized in Krasnodar

Today solemn opening ceremony of the commemorative plaque in honour of the great Russian painter Ilya Yefimovich Repin was held in Pashkovskiy residential district of Krasnodar. Head of Karasunskiy urban district administration Nikolay Khropov, Krasnodar Region Legislative Assembly deputy Vladimir Gromov, deputies of Krasnodar City Duma, well-known painter Gennady Kvashura participated in the event.

— Karasunskiy urban district is rich of historical traditions, and Pashkovskaya village itself was and remains the Cossacks village. Ilya Repin stayed here, created his pieces of art and the opening of commemorative plaque in his honour is one more step to perpetuate his name, — Nikolay Khropov said.

During the ceremony residents of the district were greeted by deputy of the first, fourth and fifth convocations of Krasnodar Region Legislative Assembly, Ataman of Kuban Cossacks Army in 1990-2007, Professor Vladimir Gromov.

— It was after Ilya Repin’s staying in Yekaterinodar in 1888, that the glory of Pashkovskaya village started growing rapidly. Repin came here to experience free spirit of Cossacks and so many people in different corners of Russia got to know the lifestyle of Cossacks and great feats of heroes who lived on Kuban land. At that time Pashkovskaya village was the place of Kuban where the oldest Cossacks lived out their remaining days. Those Cossacks participated in liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish oppression. It's no coincidence that here rather than elsewhere Ilya Repin found interesting characters for his painting “The Zaporozhian Cossacks write a letter to the Sultan of Turkey”, — Vladimir Gromov said.

The commemorative plaque installation was initiated by Krasnodar City Duma deputy Igor Bragarnik. Under his guidance representatives of community of Pashkovskiy microdistrict did a great work on collecting facts about painter’s staying in Yekaterinodar. Chairwoman of territorial public self-government Anna Klimova organized a small museum in her private yard. The museum demonstrates the lifestyle of a village Cossack.

In the course of the ceremony residents of house at address Bershanskaya Street 210, the former public inn where painter stayed, received a copy of Krasnodar City Duma decision of installing commemorative plaque on the building.

Well-known Kuban painter Gennady Kvashura explained that Ilya Repin’s painting was the result of a project he embarked on in summer 1878. He began the work on it in 1880 and finished in 1891. Pashkovskaya village Cossacks Demyan Onischenko, Vasily Oleshko, Paramon Bely, Makar Semak and Ivan Fedorovich Shramko, whom villagers called “Shipka hero”, posed for sketches of the painter. It is known that for a week in Pashkovskaya village in June 1888 Ilya Repin went around all the yards of village, explored the lifestyle of local Cossacks and looked for character types.

Today the commemorative plaque was installed on a wall of house at address Bershanskaya Street, bld.210.  The plaque declares: “This very place, in June 1888 in a building of public inn the great Russian painter Ilya Yefimovich Repin stayed and made sketches for his painting “The Zaporozhian Cossacks write a letter to the Sultan of Turkey”.