I love this painting…showing a father unexpectedly showing up at home after political exile in Siberia…with the whole family in various shades of shock upon seeing him. From the housekeepers waiting to see how everyone will react, to the wife, to the apprehensive little girl, to the boy about to be overcome with joy. What a scene.
From Ilyarepin.net: “They Did Not Expect Him is the dramatic and emotional homecoming of an Unexpected Visitor, the alternative title of this piece. Ilya Repin’s amazing scene dates from around 1883 and was painted as an oil on canvas.”