Minusinsk steppe

Vasily Surikov rendered this Siberian landscape capturing the vast steppe near Minusinsk, a town in southern Siberia along the Yenisei River. Surikov was born in Krasnoyarsk, deep in Siberia, and maintained a connection to his homeland throughout his career despite eventually settling in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The painter grew up in poverty after his father died of tuberculosis. His art teacher recognized his talent and encouraged him to pursue drawing. In 1868, Surikov set off for St. Petersburg on horseback to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he graduated in 1875. He became associated with the Peredvizhniki (The Wanderers), a group of Russian realist artists who rejected academic restrictions.

While Surikov is best known for monumental history paintings, his landscapes capture the Russian landscape with the same realist approach. This painting hangs at the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, which holds the most thorough collection of Russian art in the world.