Vasily Grigorevich Perov (russian: Васи́лий Григо́рьевич Перо́в; 2 January 1834 (21 December 1833 O.S.) – 10 June (29 May O.S.) 1882) was a Russian

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, a key figure of the Russian Realist movement and one of the founding members of

Peredvizhniki Peredvizhniki ( rus, Передви́жники, , pʲɪrʲɪˈdvʲiʐnʲɪkʲɪ), often called The Wanderers or The Itinerants in English, were a group of Russian realist artists who formed an artists' cooperative in protest of academic restr ...

Life and career

Vasily Perov was born on 2 January 1834 (21 December 1833 Old Style) in

Tobolsk Tobolsk (russian: Тобо́льск) is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh rivers. Founded in 1590, Tobolsk is the second-oldest Russian settlement east of the Ural Mountains in Asian Russia, and i ...

Tobolsk Governorate Tobolsk Governorate (russian: Тобольская губерния) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and RSFSR located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. It existed from 1796 to 1920; its ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, as Vasily Grigorevich Vasiliev (Васи́лий Григо́рьевич Васильев). Perov was an

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son of the local procurator

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

, Baron Gregor Gustav Friedrich von Krüdener, who belonged to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...

noble family, which belonged to the

Uradel (, German: "ancient nobility"; adjective or ) is a genealogical term introduced in late 18th-century Germany to distinguish those families whose noble rank can be traced to the 14th century or earlier. The word stands opposed to ''Briefadel'', ...

, and Akulina Ivanova, a native citizen of Tobolsk. Although Perov's parents married soon after his birth, there was no legal way to inherit his father's name and baron title, so he was registered under his godfather's surname — Vasiliev. He later changed his surname to

Perov Perov (russian: Перов, from ''перо'' meaning ''feather'' or ''nib'') is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Perova. Notable people with the surname include: * Aleksandr Perov (cyclist) (born 1955), Soviet cyclist * A ...

— a nickname given to him by his teacher who taught him

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

as a child (the word ''pero'' means ''

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...

'' in

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

). After completing a course at

Arzamas Arzamas (russian: Арзама́с) is a city in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Tyosha River (a tributary of the Oka), east of Moscow. Population: History Arzamas was founded in 1578 by Ivan the Terrible in the lands popul ...

uyezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd; rus, уе́зд, p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context ( uk, повіт), or Kreis in Baltic-German context, was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the ea ...

school, Perov was transferred to the ''

Alexander Stupin Alexander Vasilyevich Stupin (russian: Александр Васильевич Ступин; February 1776 in Arzamas – in Arzamas) was a Russian painter and art teacher. He founded and led the Arzamas School of Painting, Russia's first ...

art school'' also located in

. In 1853, Perov was admitted to the

Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (russian: Московское училище живописи, ваяния и зодчества, МУЖВЗ) also known by the acronym MUZHZV, was one of the largest educational insti ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where he learned from several renowned artists. In 1856, Perov was awarded with a minor silver medal, presented to the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

, for his sketch of a boy's head. Later the Academy gave him many other awards: in 1857 a major silver medal for ''Commissary of Rural Police Investigating'', a minor golden medal for the ''Scene on a Grave'' and the ''Son of a Dyak Promoted to First Rank'', and in 1861 a major golden medal for ''Sermon in a Village''. Perov Paris balagan

In 1862, after receiving the right to a state-paid trip abroad together with a golden medal, Perov traveled to

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, visiting several

cities, and then

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. During this time he created paintings depicting scenes from European streetlife, such as the ''Vendor of statuettes'', the ''Savoyard'', the ''Organ-Grinder in Paris'', the ''Musicians and the Bystanders'', and the ''Paris Ragpickers''. Returning to

early, from 1865 to 1871 Perov created his best known pieces, ''The Queue at The Fountain'', ''A Meal in the Monastery'', ''Last Journey'', ''Troika'', the ''Lent Monday'', ''Arrival of a New Governess in a Merchant House'', the ''Drawing Teacher'', ''A Scene at the Railroad'', the ''Last Tavern at Town Gate'', the ''Birdcatcher'', the ''Fisherman'', and the ''Hunters at Rest''. In 1866, Perov received the title of an

academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...

, and in 1871 the position of a Professor at Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture and Architecture. It was around this period that Perov joined the

, a collective of Russian realist painters formed as an artists cooperative in protest of academic restrictions. Vasily Perov - Monastic Refectory - Google Art Project

Vasily Perov - Monastic Refectory - Google Art Project

Perov died on 10 June (29 May O.S.), 1882 in the village Kuzminki, now Kuzminki District of Moscow) from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, and his body was interred at the

Donskoy Cemetery The New Donskoy Cemetery (Новое Донское кладбище) is a 20th-century necropolis sprawling to the south from the Donskoy Monastery in the south-west of Central Moscow. It has been closed for new burials since the 1980s. Histo ...

Selected works

File:Перов Автопортрет.jpg,

Self-portrait A self-portrait is a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, it is not until the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century tha ...

(1851) File:Перов Автопортрет 2.png,

(1870) File:Wassilij Grigorjewitsch Perow 009.jpg, Paris Ragman (1864) File:Alexander Ostrovsky by Vasily Perov.jpg,

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...

(1871) File:Vasily Perov - Портрет Ф.М.Достоевского - Google Art Project.jpg,

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

(1872) File:Перов Странник (Саратов).jpg, Old man (1868) File:Перов Сцена.jpg, A Scene at the Railroad (1868) File:Перов Голубятник.jpg, The Bird-Catcher (1870) File:Спящие дети1.JPG, Sleeping Children (1870) File:Wassilij Grigorjewitsch Perow 006.jpg, Easter Procession File:Perov guvernanka kupe.jpg, A Governess Arriving at a Merchant's House File:Перов Суд Пугачева (ГИМ).jpg, Pugachev's Judgement (1879) File:Nikita Pustosviat. Dispute on the Confession of Faith.jpg,

Nikita Pustosviat Nikita Pustosvyat (russian: Никита Пустосвят, real name Nikita Konstantinovich Dobrynin (Никита Константинович Добрынин)) (? – June 11, 1683) was one of the leaders of the Russian Old Believers during Ra ...

. Dispute on the Confession of Faith (1881) File:Чаепитие в Мытищах, близ Москвы.jpg, Drinking tea in Mytishchi, near Moscow.

References

External links

Perov at Olga's Gallery
* ttp://www.tanais.info/art/en/perov.html Vasily Perov at Tanais Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Perov, Vasily 1833 births 1882 deaths People from Tobolsk People from Tobolsky Uyezd Russian realist painters Peredvizhniki Russian male painters 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire Tuberculosis deaths in Russia 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture alumni Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture faculty