Vasily Smirnov Biography
Vasily Sergeyevich Smirnov, born August 12, 1858 in Moscow, was a renowned Russian painter expert in historical scenes from antiquity. In 1875, Smirnov enrolled in the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture and subsequently transferred to the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, where he had the opportunity to study under the guidance of Pyotr Shamshin and Pavel Chistyakov. In 1879, he was finally titled "artist" and with funding for his study abroad he went to Italy and then to Vienna. He decided to move to Rome, where in 1885 he made some sketches of Pompeii, arousing his interest in classical subjects. In 1886, Smirnov began work on a new canvas called "The Death of Nero", which took a full two long years to complete. This work gave him great visibility and was later purchased by Tsar Alexander III. In 1889 he was appointed associate professor at the Academy. However, his health continued to deteriorate due to a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, so he decided to return to the family estate in Russia. Unfortunately, Smirnov died on December 17, 1890 while in transit on the train between Kubinka and Golitsyno.
