Russia attacks Finland for rehanging famous artist
NewsStatement by the Russian Embassy in Helsinki:
Commentary by the Embassy on the decision of the Ateneum Art Museum to indicate the nationality of I.E. Repin as “Ukrainian”
We were perplexed to learn from the press about the decision of the Helsinki art museum Athenaeum to henceforth indicate the nationality of the great Russian artist Ilya Efimovich Repin as “Ukrainian” only on the grounds that he was born on the territory that Ukraine now considers its own.
This step, contrary to elementary common sense, is especially surprising given the genuine delight with which the Finnish cultural community received a large-scale exhibition of works by I.E. Repin, organized by the Athenaeum together with the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum in 2021. Then, as we remember, none of the local art critics had the slightest doubt about the nationality of the famous painter.
Leaving on the conscience of the respected museum the Russophobic and clearly opportunistic action it took in the spirit of “abolition of Russian culture,” we suggest that especially frisky pseudo-experts do not stop there. Why not go further and at the same time replenish the treasury of Finnish national culture, for example, with the name of the outstanding Russian publicist and writer V.G. Belinsky, who, as you know, was born on the territory of Finland in Sveaborg (now Suomenlinna).
Pictured: Eygene Onegin duel by Ilya Repin (Ukraine)
Now all art is being politicized. As if woke was not enough.
After Russia had recognized its neighbouring country with treaties, it began a guerrila war in its eastern area, then invaded because suddenly they decided it should not exist. Reality turned upside-down, inside-out, and entering identity politics. The Russian government has become so much more modern than it thinks.
When delusions are taken as plans to act upon, the only result is more delusions, plus very real destruction. And works of art are as vulnerable as anything else, like the soup the Mona Lisa had to endure, and the playing of a string quartet by an Israeli ensemble suddenly becomes an act of aggression against a whole population who prefer to be led by terrorists.
Embarrassingly, Russia has a point.
Finland does herself no favours with stunts like these.
Repin described himself as ”Ukrainian” in his memoirs.
I rather trust the artist’s own opinion…
Oh really?!?! Happy for you to provide an actual quote where he says it, here however is a quote from his letters, this one to Polenov:
«Вот увидишь сам, как заблестит перед тобою наша русская действительность, никем не изображенная. Как втянет тебя до мозга костей ее поэтическая правда»
Ilya Repin, Russia
One of Repin’s last letters:
“Kind, dear compatriots […] I ask you to believe in the sense of MY DEVOTION and endless regret that I can’t move TO LIVE IN A SWEET, JOYFUL UKRAINE […] Loving you from the childhood”.
Indeed: Repin was very proud of his cossack background, maintained close links to his homeland, always had close Ukrainian friends and colleagues, and repeatedly turned to Ukrainian themes during his long career as a painter.
Repin’s daughter, Vera, recalled how immersed Repin was in Ukraine:
“Almost every day, Papa read verses aloud [to us] in UKRAINIAN. (…) We had gradually come to know all the heroes.”
Vera Repina, “Iz detskikh vospominanii…,” Niva, 29 (1914)
Embarrasingly, the Russians don’t read Repin’s memoirs where he describes himself as ”Ukrainian”.
Even more embarrassingly, Jean, you don’t have a clue what Russians read or don’t read. Your Russophobia pulls you to the marrow of your bones, so contrary to Repin’s strong sentiment of expressing Russia’s poetic truth as per the eloquent quote cited above by Ilya Repin Letters Say Hello.
Ilya Repin on visiting Ukrainians:
“An amazing people. Nobody in the whole world felt so deeply about freedom, equality and brotherhood!”
Interestingly, in some of his most famous paintings Repin even signed his name in Ukrainian language.
Repin, on a letter November 8, 1917:
“Akh, Slobodskaia Ukraina…toska po rodine.”
So, Repin refers to UKRAINE as his “rodine” (fatherland).
Source: Repin i Ukraina: Pisma, 28-9
This is not a stunt. This is correction of error and recognition that russia has stolen and destroyed so much from the countries it invaded and colonized. It destroyed languages, stole culture, music, art, which claimed as its own. As in the artist Repin. The list goes on and on.
And Rudyard Kipling is an Indian writer, of course.
Ignaz Paderevski, Polish pianist and composer was born in Ivanovka, near Zhitomir. Wasn’t declare Ukrainian yet. Would they dare?
In the same spirit, Leon Bakst and Marc Chagall are Belarusian painters and their patriotism for Belarus inspired Alexander Lukashenko.
Ateneum my favorit museum in the world.
Repin, one of the leaders of the Russian Wanderer School of art, was in fact born in Chuhuiv in 1855, now part of the Ukraine, but at that time part of Russia. Ivan the Terrible had established the town in the 1500’s. It was never part of the Hapsburg controlled portion of the Ukraine. That said, both claim him and depending on what reference you read, he’s either Ukrainian, or Russian. Russia, feeling very tender at the moment thought fault of their own is stamping their feet everywhere they can. This issue is frankly utter silliness.
Feeling very tender and stamping their feet would much more likely to be attributed to SJWs who would try to insert their virtue signaling nonsense into every hole as is evident with the Ateneum.
18 of Roman emperors were born in Serbia (including Marcus Aurelius), calling them Serbian emperors would make you only look silly. Once ppl catch up, same will be with Repin.
History. The unusual terrain near the Siverskyi Donets river with deep ravines allowed the Ukrainian Cossacks to build an impregnable fortress here in the 17th century. The city of Chuhuiv was founded on August 10, 1638 by Cossacks led by Hetman Yakiv Ostrianytsia
“ Sibelius was born on 8 December 1865 in Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) in the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.”
So maybe he is Russian too?
Russia hadn’t have a problem with identification on ethnic basis, such as Ciurlionis Lithuanian, Sibelius Finnish, Penderecki and Szymanowski Polish, though they were born in the territory of Russian Empire. Even those that perceived themselves as both Russian and let’s say Ukrainian (Gogol for instance), would never be claimed as Russian-only. Repin though is factually not Ukrainian by ethnicity. And he died in what used to be Finland, now town of Repino. Ateneum should’ve been smarter and claimed him as a Finn, lol
Penderecki was born in Dębica in 1933. Russian Empire ?
My bad, I meant Paderewski.
Nope. He wrote the ”Finlandia” and died as a Finnish citizen.
In two days:
BREAKING: All major orchestras erased Sibelius from their season 23-24 and 24-25. “I hate Russian music” – said one (or twenty-one) Finnish conductor
My dad’s family were from a small village just SE of “Kiev” (as they said it) and had been in that village for several generations for over a century.
They always insisted that they were Ukrainian, but the officials there at the time put “Russian” on their official documents.
The Russians, masters of clodhopping sarcasm.
I love the phrase “the territory that Ukraine now considers its own” – such a beautifully crafted sentence, ripe with careful insinuation! Just a hint that the country Ukraine doesn’t even exist, as Putin and his lackeys keep reminding us. No wonder that Finland was eager to join NATO.
Oh dear, how confusing. That means that Prokofiev, who was born in Sontsovka, now in Ukraine, is also Ukrainian.
My maternal grandparents were from villages about 20 miles apart near Kiev. They both immigrated here with their parents as very young children. MY GRANDFATHER’S PAPERS IDENTIFY HIS NATIONALITY AS UKRAIN, WHILE MY GRANDMOTHER’S SAY RUS.
He was a Jew
Wish I’d known about that Repin 2021 exhibition in Helsinki…..did anyone at SD get to see it? Sadly Art and politics are becoming (yet again) extremely uneasy bedfellows