Nineteenth century Russia is far better known for its composers and writers than for its artists. While the likes of Tchaikovsky, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy have a global resonance, the most famous Russian painters of the period remain internationally obscure. But this state of affairs is starting to change thanks to the rise of Russia and exhibitions such as "Ilya Repin: Master Works from the State Tretyakov Gallery" at Tokyo's Bunkamura The Museum.

This follows on from the success of previous exhibitions of 19th-century Russian art in Japan, including 2009's "Unforgettable Russia: Masterpieces from The State Tretyakov Gallery." The show now on at the Bunkamura breaks new ground by focusing on a single 19th-century painter, with 57 oil paintings and 42 drawings by the man generally regarded by Russians as their most important painter of the 19th century: Ilya Repin.

Born of peasant stock in 1844, in what is now the Ukraine, Repin rose through his sheer talent, first as an apprentice icon painter for churches and then as a prize-winning student at the Academy of Arts in the then capital, St. Petersburg.