The Russian painter Mikhail Alexandrovich Demyanov worked mainly in the genres of lyrical landscape and portrait. He was also an illustrator and caricaturist. The artist used Impressionist methods to capture fleeting moments and achieve a sense of spontaneity and a study-like experience.

Mikhail Demyanov was born in the Urals in 1873. He received his early artistic training at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture where he studied landscape painting under Isaac Levitan. He continued his education at the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at the Imperial Academy of Arts in the workshop of painter Alexander Alexandrovich Kiselyov who was an active member of the Society for Traveling Art Exhibitions.

For his graduation work “Old Years”, Demyanov received the official title of artist and the right to travel abroad at the expense of the Academy. During his trip to Europe, he created a series of paintings reflecting the trends in European art. After returning home, the artist settled in Saint Petersburg and actively exhibited his works.

The artist’s early death from tuberculosis at the age of 39, in 1913, prevented him from leaving behind an extensive oeuvre.

In 1914, a posthumous exhibition of Demyanov’s works was organized in Petrograd.

Nowadays, the artist’s paintings are represented in the State Russian Museum, the Museum of the Academy of Arts, other galleries throughout Russia, and private collections.

“On the River near the White Bridge” was painted in the vicinity of Paris during the artist’s trip to Europe. The artist depicted a hot summer day. The sky is light-colored due to the heat which makes Parisians seek coolness by the side of the river. The railway bridge is reflected in the river, making the high arch bridge spans seem even higher. Boats move slowly across the mirror-like surface of the water, almost without disturbing it at all. Crowds of people can be seen by the riverbank and in the distance, in the shade of trees. The figures are painted in dots and are mainly identified by the light-colored summer clothes. The two banks seem to be opposed to each other. The bank where the young girl is resting in the shade of trees radiates calmness, relaxation, and coolness. On the other bank, everything is in motion, including a rushing train on the bridge and a crowd of people walking in the hot sun.