Boris Grigor'ev was born in Moscow and studied in St. Petersburg. A progressive painter from the early part of his career, Grigor'ev like many Russian artists of his generation painted the life of peasants, but instead of the lyricism of typical pictures, Grigor'ev's works underline darker intonations. His ambivalence was clear in the series of drawings and paintings Raseia (a primitave form of 'Russia'), made in 1917/18, to which the above painting can be related. In 1919, he left Russia and moved to France where he remained until the end of his career.