Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoi (1837–1887) was a Russian realist painter, portraitist, and influential art critic. A key figure in 19th-century Russian art, he co-founded and ideologically led the Peredvizhniki (Itinerants) movement, championing realism, moral depth, and art’s public role. His expressive portraits and works like Christ in the Wilderness shaped Russian artistic identity.