Russian painter Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky (1868-1945) painted mostly genre paintings, especially of the education of peasant children, portraits, and impressionistic landscapes studies.
Bogdanov was born in the village of Shitiki in Smolensk Governorate in 1868, then he added to his surname "Belsky" in accordance with the name of the Uyezd where he was born.
He studied at the elementary school where his teacher was Sergey Rachinsky, then studied icon-painting at the Troitse-Sergiyeva Lavra in 1883, modern painting at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in 1884 to 1889, and at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg from 1894 to 1895.
He worked and studied in private studios in Paris in the late 1890s.
He also had a flair for portrait painting-he painted the Russian tsar Nikolay II, prince Sergey Alexandrovich and Emperess Maria Fyodorovna.
The artist received the highest award for his contribution into art-the title of Academician full member of the Academy if Arts.
Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky settled in Riga in 1921. Organized a studio, where ethnic Latvians studied too.
He was very productive as a portrait and landscape painter.
In 1936 was awarded the highest award of Latvia, the Order of the Three Stars.
The collapse of monarchy and the bolshevik power made him move to Riga where he continued painting, especially rural landscapes, the peasants of Latgale.
From 1922 to 1940 there were held 7 exhibitions of the works of N. Bogdanov-Belsky in Latvia.
In 1936 the artist was awarded the order of Three Stars.
Many of his paintings are available in the Latvian Art Museum such as "Visit", "To school", "Dreamer".
He was buried at the Berlin-Tegel Russian Orthodox Cemetery.
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