Konstantin Ivanovich Mazin (1874–1947), a member of the Artists’ Union, teacher, artist, portraitist and landscape painter, was born in Astrakhan. He attended the Kazan Art School, and then studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in the landscape workshop of Professor Alexander Alexandrovich Kiselyov. He graduated in 1906.

The artist first came to Mstyora in 1903, when he was painting studies for his graduation work “Spring”. In 1920, Konstantin Mazin decided to settle in Mstyora. He lived in an ordinary wooden house. The walls of the house were completely covered with paintings, and there were many albums with drawings scattered on the tables. The artist often admired the bright sunsets from the porch of his house.

Devoting a lot of time to teaching at the art and industrial school, Konstantin Mazin sought to inspire in his students an understanding of the essence of Russian nature, its diversity and rich colors. As a result, the future artists developed an acute sense of subtle moods and colors of the landscape. Konstantin Mazin worked as a teacher for over 40 years. He raised many accomplished professional masters of lacquer miniature and landscape painting.

He completed the work “View of Mstyora” in 1947. It was commissioned by the Mstyora State Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts. The artist captured an amazingly beautiful view of Mstyora and its surroundings that opens from the village of Slobodka, located two kilometers from Mstyora. A dirt road runs from Slobodka with wooden houses through meadows with various plants and collective farm fields to the village surrounded by gardens.

On the far right is the Klyazma River and a blue dense forest on the horizon. Fluffy clouds float in the sky. The village of Mstyora is across the river. Houses are visible among the trees. White stone buildings and the ensemble of the Epiphany Monastery with the Epiphany Church and a bell tower built in the 17th century stand out in the center. Closer to the river there are stone buildings of the Felix Dzerzhinsky factory for the production of oilcloth. Renowned for its artistic crafts and creative personalities, Mstyora, the village of art and artists, is located in a truly picturesque place.