Pavel Andreevich Fedotov (1815-1852) – master of the genre art. He was born in Moscow in the family of a retired officer.
He graduated from the Cadet corps and served for several years in the guards regiment in St. Petersburg. During the service, he painted a lot, visited the Hermitage and the Academy of Arts.
In 1844 he retired on a small pension, he decided to dedicate himself to painting.
Its importance in Russian art is very significant. He was the first Russian artist, who made in the image of criticism.
In 1846, Fedotov created the first significant picture of a series of dramatic and comic stories dedicated to the life of "small people" - "Fresh cavalier" ("the Morning of the official").
On it we see a poor official who received the order of St. Stanislaus 3 degrees - the smallest order of the Russian Empire. However, the official is very proud and brags about it to his cook.
The action takes place in the morning after the feast. This is indicated by broken dishes, empty bottles and leftovers on the floor and table.
And although the official is proud and set up for ancient hero, he is very poor: the cook gives him leaky boots, and the furniture is cheap.
After the picture "Fresh cavalier" Fedotov woke up famous. Progressive criticism saw the hero of the picture as the embodiment of all the shortcomings of the bureaucratic system of serfdom Russia: arrogance, callousness.
To be continued