The painter earned this trip with his successful studies at the Academy. According to the existing at that period practice, after graduation, the best graduates went abroad for several years to improve their painting skills and techniques. 

It took him a little longer than ten years to go from a student in an engraving workshop to a graduate of the Imperial Academy of Arts, the first course that he completed as an external student.

Thus, in one of the letters to his friend, the artist-marinist Alexey Bogolyubov, Fedor Bronnikov answers his question about the possibility of moving: “You ask me when I will move to the Crimea or Odessa and even express your desire to join me. Well, forgive me, my friend, I don”t think that you could sit with me anywhere in one of these areas, you”ll be bored to death, you”re accustomed to Paris; in the same way I”ll probably have to lay down my bones in Rome, from where I could hardly move, even if I wanted to, much less likely to move so far and with all my belongings. As doctors say, I can”t travel with my illness’. 

However, he did not lose touch with his home country for the rest of his life. Bronnikov had extensive correspondence with friends, exhibited his works, actively participated in the activities of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. After his death, he bequeathed to his hometown of Shadrinsk more than 300 paintings and 40 thousand rubles to establish an art school. Today Bronnikov’s works are in many museums and private collections, not only in Russia, but also abroad. However, the most complete collection of his works is in Shadrinsk.