Sergey Sergeyev-Tsensky considered his acquaintance with Ilya Repin one of the greatest fortunes of his life.

Following the advice of Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky, Sergeyev-Tsensky settled in Kuokkala in December 1909, where he rented the Kozinochka summer house. Repin also lived in Kuokkala. The two got acquainted, and later Sergeyev-Tsensky became a frequent guest at Repin’s Wednesday evening receptions at his country house, the Penates.

The friendly correspondence between Sergeyev-Tsensky and Repin continued until the last days of the artist’s life. In his letters, Sergeyev-Tsensky asked Repin for a sketch to remember him by. The artist replied that he was pondering over which sketch to choose,

In the end, Repin sent Sergeyev-Tsensky a watercolor study, which depicted a Cossack, a blind kobzar sitting on the shore of the sea (or the Dnieper River). He is dressed in harem pants and holds a string instrument in his hands. Together with the sketch, the artist also sent a photo of himself. The sketch and the picture feature an inscription, which reads “To the esteemed Sergey Nikolayevich Sergeyev-Tsensky. Ilya Repin. 1926.” Sergeyev-Tsensky replied by thanking the artist for the gift and inviting him to visit his homeland, the Dnieper River and Crimea. But the 82-year-old Ilya Repin was ill and could not go anywhere.