The surname Perov was adopted by Vasily Grigorevich Vasiliev after his calligraphy teacher noted his proficiency with a feather, or "pero," during his early education. Born in Tobolsk in 1834 to the local procurator Baron Gregor Gustav Friedrich von Krüdener and Akulina Ivanova, he emerged as a central force in the development of 19th-century Russian Realism.
Artistic Training and Academic Recognition
After his time at the Arzamas uyezd school and the Alexander Stupin art school, Perov enrolled at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1853. His development as a painter occurred alongside a series of accolades from the Imperial Academy of Arts. He secured a minor silver medal in 1856 for a boy’s head sketch. Subsequent years brought a major silver medal for Commissary of Rural Police Investigating in 1857, minor golden medals for Scene on a Grave and Son of a Dyak Promoted to First Rank, and finally a major golden medal for Sermon in a Village in 1861.
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In 1862, Perov leveraged his state-funded travel grant to tour Western Europe, spending time in German cities and Paris. During this international residency, his focus shifted toward the observation of urban street life. His output during this period included Vendor of statuettes, The Savoyard, Organ-Grinder in Paris, Musicians and the Bystanders, and Paris Ragpickers. These works captured the social environment of the cities he visited before he returned to Moscow to advance his career within the domestic art scene.
Maturity, Teaching, and the Peredvizhniki
Upon returning to Moscow, Perov entered a prolific stage between 1865 and 1871. His output included pieces such as The Queue at The Fountain, A Meal in the Monastery, Last Journey, Troika, Lent Monday, Arrival of a New Governess in a Merchant House, the Drawing Teacher, A Scene at the Railroad, the Last Tavern at Town Gate, the Birdcatcher, the Fisherman, and Hunters at Rest. He attained the title of academician in 1866. In 1871, he accepted a professorship at his alma mater and participated in the formation of the Peredvizhniki, a collective established to challenge the restrictive practices of the formal Academy.
Fast facts
- Born: 1834, Tobolsk
- Died: 1882, Kuzminki District
- Movement: Realism
- Key Award: Large gold medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1867)
- Primary Occupation: Painter
- Education: Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1853)
- Burial Site: Donskoy Cemetery
- Original Surname: Vasiliev
Questions readers ask
Why did Vasily Perov change his name?
He was born as Vasily Grigorevich Vasiliev but was given the nickname Perov by his calligraphy teacher, referencing the Russian word for feather.
What was the significance of the Peredvizhniki collective?
Perov joined this group of Russian realist painters, which formed as an artists' cooperative to protest the existing restrictions of the Imperial Academy of Arts.
Achievements
- Large gold medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts — 1867
- Movement: realism
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