At the start of the 19th century, Russia was still a newcomer to Europe's art scene. This lecture talks about the rise of a group of young painters known as the Wanderers who, from the 1860s onwards, forged a new and independent route for modern art. Their leading figure, Ilya Repin, evoked the realities of life through his paintings of people and landscapes. His major works would provoke admiration and controversy, establishing him as the most significant Russian painter of his time.