In the context of this artwork, explore the 12th traveling exhibition and sale of the painting of the History.
The painting was included in the 12th itinerant exhibition of the Peredvizhniki, which was then in Saint-Petersburg, beginning in 1884. Pavel Tretyakov had decided not to buy the painting after telling Repin that it had many qualities but also flaws; its subject did not interest him, but it seemed to him that it would touch the public. Repin himself was also not entirely satisfied with the painting's visual treatment of the theme of exile's return. They Did Not Expect Him then travelled to various cities throughout Russia with the travelling exhibition. Pavel Tretyakov informed Repin at the end of the trip that he had decided to purchase the canvas. Repin had also received another offer from Fyodor Tereshchenko, but turned it down because he wanted to retouch the male character. When the painting was finished, Pavel Tretyakov was able to acquire it for his collection, raising the purchase price from 5,000 to 7,000 rubles.Repin returned to the painting in 1885, 1887, and 1888. The changes he made were mostly to the expression on the exiled man's face. Andrey Denyer photographed the canvas before the 1885 modifications, and offered the photograph to art critic Vladimir Stasov in 1884.
Vladimir Stasov Peredvizhniki Saint-Petersburg travelling exhibition Andrey Denyer Pavel Tretyakov Fyodor Tereshchenko Russia