The presented canvas was created by Afanasy Kulikov, a native of the village of Isakovo, located very close to the town of Maloyaroslavets (now only one house remains in the village, it was built after the Great Patriotic War). Afanasy Kulikov was an outstanding Russian artist of the 20th century, grew up in a poor, but quite well-educated and cultured peasant family. He studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. However, after graduating from the course, he did not invoke his right to present a painting to obtain the title of artist. He would later write in his autobiography,

Even before the Bolsheviks seized power, Kulikov became the de-facto founding father of the Soviet propaganda lubok (traditional Russian popular prints), which became the most important milestone in his career. At the same time, he created several lubok-inspired paintings: “The Blind near the Teahouse”, “Squeezebox Players in the Tavern”, “At the Holy Well”, and “Conversation near the Village Tavern”.

Afanasy Efremovich Kulikov created the “Self-Portrait” in the midst of the Russian revolution.

The background images in this portrait are quite significant. However, they are not the focal point of the canvas: the face of young Kulikov, contagiously cheerful, downright bursting with happiness, is the prime focus. Indeed, it was at the time when this self-portrait was created that Kulikov believed in himself, established himself as an artist, and found his place in Russian art.