In the context of Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, discuss the Repin's interpretation of the Context.
Nikolai Gogol's 1842 romantic-historical novella Taras Bulba describes the incident in passing. Repin associated with Savva Mamontov and his artistic circle and probably heard the story there; at any rate, Repin made his first sketches for the painting in Mamontov's home.
While working on the original version, Repin in 1889 began work on a second version. This work remained unfinished. The artist tried to make the second version of The Cossacks more "historically authentic". In 1932 it was transferred by the Tretyakov Gallery to the M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum. In 1935, it was moved to the Kharkiv Art Museum, where it is now stored. This canvas is slightly smaller than the original version.
The historian Dmytro Yavornytsky assisted Repin in portraying the scene authentically.During the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine in March 2022, when the Kharkiv region came under heavy artillery and air fire, the museum staff rushed to remove their artworks from the museum to a safer place.   The second version of  The Cossacks was amongst the artworks relocated for safety.
historical novella Cossack Taras Bulba Repin Savva Mamontov Nikolai Gogol Tretyakov Gallery Cossacks Kharkiv Dmytro Yavornytsky romantic Kharkiv Art Museum M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum Ukraine