Portrait of Dr. Karl A. Rauhfus 1887

Ivan Kramskoy painted this unfinished portrait of Dr. Karl A. Rauhfus, a prominent pediatrician, in Russia, sometime before his own death in 1887. The arresting realism of Kramskoy’s portraits place him within the Russian Realist movement, a school reacting against academic formalism and focused on representing social realities. Kramskoy was a leading figure in the Peredvizhniki, or “Wanderers,” a group of artists who broke away from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts to form an independent exhibiting society. Their goal was to bring art to the people, showing their work outside of established institutions and depicting scenes of everyday life, often with a critical eye toward social inequality. Although Rauhfus was a member of the upper class, his selfless dedication to children’s health would have resonated with the Peredvizhniki’s values. By studying archival sources such as letters, exhibition reviews, and the records of artistic societies, we can better understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped Kramskoy's art and his commitment to portraying individuals who embodied progressive ideals.