Grigory was born in November 1823 in the village of Pokrovskoye (Tver province). Grigory’s father was a serf peasant Vasily Savelyev. Serfs did not have surnames at that time, they were replaced by the parent’s name or nickname. So, Grigory was first called Vasiliev, and then became Soroka. He was nicknamed in honor of the bird for his lively nature.

Grigory and his parents belonged to the landowner Nikolai Milyukov. The master was the leader of the nobility of the Vyshnevolotsky district. Thanks to him, a school for rural children was opened. Milyukov was friends with the famous artist Venetsianov. He also had a school for peasant children, only he taught painting. The master sent Grigory to study at Venetsianov’s school.

The result of his training was that Grigory managed to become one of the best students at the school. His master was very pleased. It was fashionable then to have their own serf artists to decorate the nobles’ living rooms and offices with landscapes and portraits. Grigory began to work actively for the benefit of his master. He painted many wonderful pictures, among which the portrait of the landowner’s daughter stood out.

Grigory dreamed of freedom. It seemed monstrously unfair to him that he was in a serf position and could not manage his own life. He asked the landowner for his freedom, but the latter regarded his act as insolence and decided that Grigory would now be a gardener, and in a break from flowers and trees, he would paint the canvases the master needed.

Soroka completely fell into despondency. Depression fell upon him, the meaning of life became vague…

As a suicide, Grigory Soroka was buried away from the cemetery. At the time of his death, he was forty years old. He lived a short life, but his memory is preserved in numerous paintings in Russian museums.