Grigory Grigorievich Myasoyedov (born April 7, 1834 – died December 18, 1911) is a well-known artist of the 19th century, the brightest representative of Russian realism and the founder of the Wanderers. Grigory Myasoedov in different years turned to the historical and everyday genre, painted portraits and landscapes. He devoted the main part of his work to describing the peasantry. Art historians studying the master’s biography note that this versatile painter also paid attention to religious themes. His paintings touch upon ritual actions, folk beliefs and customs.

Biography of Grigory Myasoedov

Grigory Myasoedov comes from a respectable but impoverished small estate noble family who lived in the Tula province. The artist from an early age was distinguished by extraordinary erudition and erudition. In his youth, he composed poetry, and in the later years of his life he wrote short stories, which magazines and newspapers published with pleasure.

Grigory Myasoedov became interested in painting early, and his father, who encouraged the interests of his son, sent him to the gymnasium and allowed him to attend drawing lessons. Grigory did not finish his studies – in 1853 he broke ties with his family, left Orel for St. Petersburg and entered the Imperial Academy of Arts. Deprived of his father’s financial assistance, Myasoedov, like a true student, constantly lived in need and survived by odd jobs.

An exemplary student and talented draftsman, Grigory Myasoedov wrote the work “Congratulations to the Young”, for which in 1861 he was awarded a small gold medal. Another year later, at the end of the course of historical painting, the novice painter created “The Flight of Grigory Otrepyev”, received a large gold medal for it. This gave the right to train abroad at public expense. The next few years, Grigory Myasoedov actively traveled around Europe, studying the work of Italian, German, Spanish and French artists, sculptors and architects.

During the wanderings, the painter worked hard and improved.

Entering a private art academy in Rome, Myasoedov made a series of sketches from nature, paying special attention to the development of light reflexes. One of the results of this experiment was the painting “The Spaniard”, written in 1866.

Convinced that the main task of the artist is a realistic and truthful depiction of the life of peasants and workers suffering from poverty, the painter decided to bring art closer to the layman. Upon returning to his homeland, Myasoedov actively promotes the idea of ​​​​creating a special community of wandering artists, and already in 1870 the first meeting of the organization’s members took place.

He became the leader of the community.

He wrote the first statute and laid the foundation for the Wanderings idea of ​​introducing Russian art to the inhabitants of the province. As one of the main participants in the movement, he often and extensively traveled around the country with traveling exhibitions, presenting new interesting works to the audience.

Gradually, from an enterprising innovator, Myasoedov turned into a conservative and quarrelsome old man who did not want to recognize the work of progressive impressionists and did not allow young artists to participate in traveling exhibitions. The community split, Grigory Myasoedov left the post of leader, left the Partnership and moved to a farm near Kharkov. Here he created landscapes, was engaged in graphics, worked on theatrical scenery and was engaged in gardening. He painted pictures on his favorite topic, describing peasant life. But pain, empathy and pity come to replace critical realism in the paintings.

By the end of his life, Grigory Myasoedov moved to the Pavlenki estate and spent warm summer days here, and preferred to while away the cold season in the Crimea.