Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky was one of the most important Russian artists of the 19th century, a member of the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions, and portraitist, who also painted genre and historical works.
He was born into the family of an amateur artist,
one of the founders of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and
Architecture. From an early age, Makovsky, his brothers and sister learned drawing from their
father. Later Konstantin said,
I believe that I owe what I’ve achieved in its entirety not to the Academy or the professors, but to my father.
The Makovskys were often visited by the school tutors and famous artists, such as Karl Bryullov, Vasily Tropinin, and Sergey Zaryanko.
Makovsky started his academic education at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he excelled in his studies and received various awards. Then he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts. Despite being one of the best students, Makovsky left the Academy without a diploma: he took part in the so-called Revolt of the Fourteen, when he and other 13 students refused to use Scandinavian mythology as subject for their future painting. This way, the young painters resisted the influence of the classical style in art.
Konstantin Makovsky joined the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions; he often addressed social issues in his works and created genre and history paintings.
Makovsky began taking portrait commissions in his early years. Soon he became a well-known, sought-after portraitist, depicting famous people of art and science, public figures, members of the royal family, as well as ordinary people. As a result, Makovsky became one of the highest-paid portraitists of his time.
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