Kirill Gorbunov

Biography

He was born a serf. After displaying some artistic talent, he was sent to Moscow where, from 1836 to 1840, he studied art in a school operated by Carl Wilhelm von Rabus. After graduating, he received a recommendation from Nikolai Gogol that enabled him to attend the Imperial Academy of Arts in St.Petersburg from 1840 to 1846, where he studied under Karl Bryullov.

In 1841 Bryullov, together with Vasily Zhukovsky, succeeded in obtaining Gorbunov's freedom. Upon his graduation from the Academy in 1846, he was granted the rights of a "неклассного художника" (Free Artist), which enabled him to set up his own studio. In 1851, his portrait of Alexei Markov earned him the title of Academician. He would eventually produce portraits of virtually every well-known literary figure in Russia (including a series of lithograph portraits commissioned by Alexander Herzen), as well as Tsars Alexander II and Alexander III. From 1851 to 1888 he was a teacher at the Smolny Institute. He later painted icons and frescoes at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and several other churches in St.Petersburg.

His major works may be seen in the Russian Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.