Ivan Khrutsky

Ivan Khrutsky was born in Ulla, a town in the Vitebsk Governorate of the Russian Empire, to a Polish family of Greek Catholic priests. He studied at the Piarist Lyceum in Polotsk, where he received a classical education. In 1827, he moved to St. Petersburg and studied privately with George Dawe, an English painter who worked on portraits of Russian commanders for the Military Gallery of the Winter Palace. In 1830, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied under Alexey Venetsianov, a renowned painter of genre scenes. Khrutsky showed his talent for still life painting, which was influenced by the Dutch and Flemish masters. He also painted portraits of his contemporaries, such as Mikhail Lermontov, Nikolay Gogol, and Taras Shevchenko. He received several awards from the Academy, including a small gold medal for his painting "Serene Holiday of a Beggar" in 1860. He became an academician in 1839 and a professor in 1849. He taught at the Academy until 1861, when he resigned due to his disagreement with the reforms of the new director, Ivan Kramskoy. He moved to his family estate in Zakharnichi, where he spent the rest of his life. He continued to paint and exhibit his works, but he also devoted himself to farming and social work. He helped the peasants of his region to improve their living conditions and education. He also supported the Polish national movement and the January Uprising of 1863. He died in 1885 in Zakharnichi and was buried in the local cemetery. His works are in the collections of several museums, such as the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, and the National Art Museum of Belarus.