7215345 MIKHAIL GLINKA COMPOSING THE OPERA ???USSLAN AND LUDMILA?? 1897 (oil on canvas) by Repin, Ilya Efimovich (1844-1930); Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia; (add.info.: 1887//Oil on canvas Repin was very fond of the music of Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857), who inspired him when he painted his Volga Haulers. A forerunner of the ???roup of Five?? Glinka is considered the father of Russian music. He was notably the composer of the first national opera, sung entirely in Russian (A Life for the Tsar, 1836). For this posthumous portrait, Repine delves into the memories of Glinka\'s friends and uses various documents and photographs. It represents the composer in a natural attitude, seeking inspiration, half-lying on a couch, his scores around him.); Photo by Sylvain Collet.