During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Pavel Osipovich Kovalevsky accompanied the Russian army. After the war, he was awarded a 2nd-class gold medal at the World’s Fair in Paris. In 1881, the future teacher of Goryushkin-Sorokopudov was promoted to the position of professor.

For the last two years of his studies, Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov studied in the workshop of Ilya Efimovich Repin, alongside Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin, Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev and Fedot Vasilyevich Sychkov, among other Russian artists. Throughout his challenging creative journey, Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov maintained his love for Russian history, way of life, national character, and beautiful nature.

While still a student, Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov often traveled to old Russian cities to collect material for his works. He visited places like Uglich, Suzdal, Rostov Veliky, and Astrakhan where he painted monasteries, bell towers with monks, and colorful domes of churches and cathedrals. The Academy Chancellery even issued him a special certificate stating that he was “traveling across Russia to paint from nature and capture local landscapes.”

The studies that the artist brought back from his trips served as inspiration for his prominent monumental paintings. One of them was the painting “From the Cult of the Past”, originally titled “From Century to Century”. The artist depicted a bell tower in the rays of the noonday sun, with pigeons peacefully cooing, unafraid of the presence of monks in their black robes.

The sound of the bells ringing reminded the painter of the roots of folk wisdom and courage that allowed the Russian people to endure all challenges. The theme of bells was a recurring motif in the work of Ivan Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. He created a unique design for his painting. Its frame was stylized to look like an ornate wooden window.