Alexey Kondratyevich Savrasov was born in Moscow in 1830.
From early childhood, Alexey Savrasov was adamant about painting and defied the instructions and wishes of his father, a wool and small ware merchant who hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps.
At the age of 12, Alexey Savrasov first asserted himself as a promising artist, when his works began to sell well among art lovers across various social classes. At the age of 24, Alexey Savrasov graduated from the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, and became a member of the Academy of Arts.
Alexey Savrasov found himself at the heart of Moscow’s art scene. He participated in numerous exhibitions, and his paintings were highly praised by both the public and the critics. At the age of 28, the artist became the head of the landscape class at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
Nature was the main subject of Alexey Savrasov’s art throughout his life.
“Savrasov is recognized as a great lyricist. Each of his paintings features a certain mood which the artist used to have a conversation with his audience about what is really important. In his paintings, he tried to convey infinite sadness, Russian melancholy, and a heightened sensitivity to the beauty of Russian landscapes filled with lingering loneliness. The unison and mutual resonance of man and nature was like an imprint of the human soul in the landscape’s character. Savrasov’s works were filled with a sincere love of his country,” wrote Vitaly Serafimovich Manin, a Soviet and Russian art historian.
In the late 1870s, a series of tragedies struck the artist. Gloomy themes appeared in his works.
