Pavel Fedotov

Pavel Fedotov was a Russian painter who is considered the father of Russian domestic genre painting. He was influenced by the works of William Hogarth, whom he admired for his social criticism and realism. Fedotov was an officer of the Imperial Guards of Saint Petersburg, but he retired from the army in 1844 to pursue his artistic career. He began with sepia drawings and watercolors, depicting humorous scenes of everyday life and moralistic satire. He then switched to oil painting and created his most famous works, such as The Major's Marriage Proposal (1848), The Widow (1851), and The Gamblers (1852). These paintings show his keen observation of human nature, his mastery of composition and color, and his subtle irony and compassion. Fedotov also painted portraits, landscapes, and historical subjects, but he is best remembered for his genre scenes that reflect the social and cultural changes of his time. Fedotov suffered from depression and had an unhappy love affair that worsened his mental condition. He was hospitalized in a psychiatric clinic in 1852, where he continued to paint until his death. He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. His works were recognized as a new word in art and inspired many Russian realist painters of the second half of the 19th century.