1834 - 1882

  Vasily Perov got his education in the provincial Arzamass School of Art. During 1853 - 1861 Perov studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. 1862 - 1864 He lived in Paris, studying art. After coming back Perov became a founding member in the Circle of the Itinerants. In 1886 Vasily Perov received a title of member of the Petersburg Academy of Arts.
This Russian Artist is known for his genre scenes and portraits.

Perov depicted famous Russian writer Aleksander Ostrovsky, who exposed ignorant merchant class in his stories. This painting is considered to be one of the most significant portraits the artist painted.

The Refectory,1865-76, Oil on canvas, 84 x 126, Russian Museum, since 1906

On this canvas Perov showed social and moral problems in society. The artist of high standards and sincere beliefs couldn't tolerate the failings of the priesthood. He depicted their greed, gluttony, indifference to the poor, servility to the rich. His style is simplified but it's an outstanding example of critical realism in Russia.

Tea-Drinking in Mytishchi

It was a custom for wealthy worshippers on pilgrimage from Moscow to the Trinity-St. Sergius Monastery to stop for tea in the village of Mytishchi, famed for its water. Perov portrays an incapacitated veteran of the Sevastopol campaign who, wearing the Order of St. George, must beg for charity.

Here the artist exposes drunk priests' characters, but also suffers and feels for them.

"The Troika".1866

Hunters at rest.1871, Oil on canvas, 119 x 183 cm, Tretyakov Gallery

This painting is full of gentle humor and irony.