He worked a lot in Italy; he created portraits of the nobility, Italian landscapes, town and village streets, genre paintings of Italian life, pictures on the history of Ancient Rome and Middle Ages. After the end of his funding, he remained in Italy. However, his connection with Russia was constant and inextricable. 

In 1863, F.A. Bronnikov brings to Russia his large painting ‘Quaestor Reading the Death Sentence to Senator Thrasea Paetus’. This work gained him the professorship in historical painting. Visit to motherland became a crucial moment in F.A. Bronnikov’s art. He became close with the Wanderers, and under their influence created a series of genre paintings “Poor Family Driven out of the Apartment”, “Poor old man” (Tretyakov Gallery), “Golden Wedding” and other. In 1873, F.A. Bronnikov became a member of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.  

The artist was a master of historical painting and portraiture. Successfully proved himself in the landscape genre. His landscapes are marked with coloristic harmony and purity of colors. Love for nature was inherent to him. In letters to relatives, he often recalled the beauty of his native places. The most famous works of F. A. Bronnikov — “The Anthem of the Pythagoreans to the Rising Sun”, “Consecration of the Hermas”, “Cursed Field” and others are stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery. The best creations were represented at World Exhibitions along with outstanding works of the national school of painting. 

His “Italian Girl” from the collection of the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts is an example of those picturesque sketches made by traveling Russian artists in Italy, admiring the colors, the bright sun, the sights and people of this amazingly beautiful country.