The Sheep Shearer

When he was only sixteen years old, the young Russian peasant Filipp Maliavin left the village of Kazanka in Samara province for the St. Panteleimon monastery on Mount Athos to study icon painting. He remained in Greece until 1891 when he returned to Russia, sponsored by the sculptor Vladimir Beklemishev, to study at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts under the tutelage of Il'ia Repin.

Maliavin's originality and synthesis of Impressionism and Expressionism proved extremely popular. His portraits of peasants epitomize his style and were highly praised when shown at international exhibitions.