Sergey Georgiyevich Arkhipov was a gifted student of Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov. He was born in the town of Kozlov (Michurinsk) in the Tambov region and was a member of the Artists’ Union of the USSR. The modern general public knows the artist as a perfectionist master of realistic paintings. He made a valuable contribution to the preservation of the historical past of Kozlov. Sergey Arkhipov’s handwritten memoirs about the history of the town are especially significant. Arkhipov’s most fundamental work is the handwritten text of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”. The Alexander Gerasimov Estate Museum houses one of its versions.

In 1918, Sergey Arkhipov secured an acquaintance with Alexander Gerasimov through Nikolay Bubnov, a teacher at the Kozlov commercial school, who had a penchant for painting and achieved brilliant results as an independent artist. That meeting was important for Sergey Arkhipov.

Alexander Gerasimov treated Sergey Arkhipov with great respect. In 1923, he painted a watercolor portrait of the artist. The work was performed with great skill, without any preliminary pencil drawing. This picture is distinguished by lifelikeness and relatability. Good anatomy drawing and subtle light accents reflect the inner state of the sitter. This work reveals the skill of Alexander Gerasimov as a watercolorist. In four sessions, Alexander Mikhailovich created a wonderful portrait of Sergey Georgiyevich, which is now displayed at the Alexander Gerasimov Estate Museum.