Vasily Tropinin

Vasily Tropinin was born as a serf of Count Munnich in 1776. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting, but he was not allowed to pursue his artistic career until he was freed in 1823. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg and became a renowned portraitist and a representative of the Russian Romantic movement. He painted many famous people, such as Alexander Pushkin and Nikolay Karamzin, as well as scenes of Ukrainian life and culture. He also taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and influenced many young artists. He died in 1857 and was buried at the Vagankovo Cemetery in Moscow. He is considered one of the most original and expressive Russian painters of the 19th century.