In 1932 it was presented by the Tretyakov Gallery to the Kharkiv Historical Museum. The second version of “The Cossacks” the artist tried to make more “historically authentic”. While working on the original version, Repin in 1889 began work on a second version.
During Repin’s time, the Cossacks enjoyed great popular sympathy. The painting exhibits the Cossacks’ pleasure at striving to come up with ever more base vulgarities. The Zaporozhian Cossacks, Zaporozhian Cossacks Army, Zaporozhian Army (Ukrainian language: ) or simply Zaporozhians (Ukrainian language: Zaporozhtsi, Polish language: Kozacy zaporoscy, Czech language: Záporotí kozáci) were Ukrainian Cossacks who lived beyond the rapids of the Dnieper River, the land also known as the Wild Fields in. Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks depicts a supposedly historical tableau, set in 1676 and based on the legend of Cossacks sending a reply to an ultimatum of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed IV. Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a popular journalist, was one of the models who posed for Repin. Since then, the canvas has been exhibited in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. Alexander III bought the painting for 35,000 rubles, at the time the greatest sum ever paid for a Russian painting. Repin recorded the years of work along the lower edge of the canvas. The Original 2.03 m (6.66 ft) by 3.58 m (11.74 ft) canvas was started in 1880 and finished in 1891. This painting is after Russian artist Ilya Repin.