Demonstration on October 17, 1905 (Sketch) 1906

Ilya Repin captured this demonstration with oil on canvas, probably sometime around 1905. Look how quickly the paint is applied, how loose the forms are, as if Repin is trying to catch a feeling more than an accurate depiction. The texture is really something here, thick in places, almost like he’s sculpting the crowd with his brush. There’s a palpable energy in those strokes, a sense of movement, of bodies pressed together. The red flags pop against the sea of blacks and browns, like bursts of passion and anger. The guy at the center, arms raised, he’s a blur of energy, almost losing his head in the excitement. It's like we’re right there in the thick of it, swept up in the fervor. You can almost hear the music and the shouts. Think about Delacroix and the way he captured the spirit of rebellion, of revolution. This piece isn’t about precision, it's about feeling, about the raw, messy reality of people in a moment of collective intensity.