“…Undeniably FInest Choice of Frame” ( on the Question of PIcture Framing by I. E. Repin)

Abstract

Numerous paintings by I. E. Repin in the collections of the Russian Museum, Tretyakov Gallery, Ateneum are distinguished by interesting, richly decorated, at times unique frames. The vast majority of these decorative art pieces have not been studied. Not only the creator of the sketch and the framemaker are left undisclosed, but also those who stood behind the choice of the frame – the artist himself or, rather, the buyer, customer. The contemporary ideas regarding Repin’s frames have largely been influenced by a highly critical commentary of Y. D. Minchenkov, which he recorded in his memoirs dedicated to artists – members of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. Yet, the frames of Repin, which we have successfully identified and attributed, make us doubt the objectivity of Minchenkov's words. The question of Repin's contribution to the art of picture framing has not yet been considered in the works of specialists. Nonetheless, the original decor of the frames for such paintings as “Sadko” give grounds to assume that they were created according to the artist's drawings. Remarkably, a number of the artworks considered in the article have been introduced into scholarly literature for the first time.