28.12.1800-26.02.1879

December 28, 1800 was born a famous watercolorist and draftsman Vasily Sadovnikov. He can be called a chronicler of Petersburg. In his watercolors and lithographs, he reflected the life of the Russian capital from Pushkin to Dostoevsky.

Vasily Sadovnikov was a serf duchess Natalia Petrovna Golitsyna. Only after her death, already being a famous artist, he got free. Vasily Sadovnikov was self-taught, but, apparently, a certain influence was exerted on him by Peter’s elder brother, who was given to the training of AN Voronikhin, a well-known architect and academician of perspective painting.

In 1823 – 1827, Sadovnikov participated in the coloring of lithographed views of Petersburg and the surrounding areas, published by the Society for the Support of Artists. This work not only promoted the original artist in the creative plan, but also allowed to get acquainted with other artists and lithographers who later played a role in his life.

One of the most famous works of the artist, “The Panorama of Nevsky Prospekt”, originally made in watercolors almost 16-meter long and released by the publisher AM Prevost series of 30 sheets, delighted contemporaries. His works are filled not only with documentary accuracy, but also with an amazing poetic mood and love for his native city.

During his long life, Vasily Sadovnikov traveled extensively throughout Russia, visited Moscow, Revel, Vilno, Helsingfors, Novgorod and Tambov.

Sadovnikov died in St. Petersburg, in 1879, and was buried at Mitrofanyevsky cemetery, however, the grave of the artist has not survived to this day.