Ilya RepinUkrainian, 1844–1930Barge Haulers on the Volga
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
State Russian Museum
RoomMikhaylovskiy dvorets, Zal 33. I. Ye. Repin. Nachalo. BurlakiSaint Petersburg, Russia
On public display.
- Checked
- 5 days ago
- In this state since
- Sep 28, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Barge Haulers on the Volga or Burlaki (Russian: Бурлаки на Волге, Burlaki na Volge) is an 1870–1873 oil-on-canvas painting by Russian realist artist Ilya Repin. It depicts 11 men (burlaki) hauling a barge along the banks of the Volga River. They are at the point of collapse from exhaustion, oppressed by heavy, hot weather.
Although they are presented as stoical and accepting, the men are defeated; only one stands out: in the center of both the row and canvas, a brightly colored youth fights against his leather binds and takes on a heroic pose.
Read on
Repin conceived the painting during his travels through Russia as a young man and depicts actual characters he encountered. It drew international praise for its realistic portrayal of the hardships of working men, and launched his career. Soon after its completion, the painting was purchased by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and exhibited widely throughout Europe as a landmark of Russian realist painting. Barge Haulers on the Volga has been described as "perhaps the most famous painting of the Peredvizhniki movement [for]....its unflinching portrayal of backbreaking labor".
Particulars
- Accession number
- Ж-4056
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- State Russian Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 5 days ago
- Image: State Russian Museum — © State Russian Museum
Meanwhile, in the life of Ilya Repin
The whole life1863–1871 · Education
Imperial Academy of Arts
1863–1871
Kramskoi — mentor — and the artists’ artel
Repin regarded Ivan Kramskoi as his direct mentor: he was at home in the artists’ artel Kramskoi founded, showed him his student sketches and listened to his advice. After Kramskoi’s death he wrote recollections in which he called him his teacher.
summer 1870
Poyezdka na Volgu
С братом и художниками Фёдором Васильевым и Евгением Макаровым — этюды и типажи для «Бурлаков»; там встретил бурлака Канина, героя первой тройки.
23 February 1872
Venchaniye s Veroy Shevtsovoy
Вместо свадебного путешествия — деловые поездки: Москва на открытие «Славянского базара», затем этюды в Нижнем Новгороде. Брак продлился пятнадцать лет, родилось четверо детей.
1873
“Barge Haulers on the Volga” at the Vienna World Exhibition
Shown at the Vienna International Exposition, “Barge Haulers on the Volga” brought Repin his first international attention, and the Academy’s grant allowed him a long journey — through Austria and Italy to Paris.
April 1873 – 1876
Pensionerskaya poyezdka: Vena, Italy, Paris
Посетив Вену, Венецию, Флоренцию, Рим и Неаполь, осел на год в Париже (мастерская на Rue Véron). К концу поездки начал признавать импрессионистов, выделяя Мане; под его влиянием написано «Парижское кафе».
