The painting “Gardener” presented in the exhibition is a student work by Stepan Fyodorovich Khudoyarov (1810–1865), a representative of the third generation of the Nizhny Tagil artistic dynasty. From childhood, he worked in his father’s workshop, studied painting, and mastered the purity and fineness of lacquering. In the summer of 1827, he was sent to Italy for training at the expense of the Russian industrialist and philanthropist Nikolay Nikitich Demidov (1773–1828).

The situation of the students who were trained in painting was quite prosperous and even privileged. After the death of Nikolay Demidov, his youngest son Anatoly took care of the fate of young artists. He sincerely admired the work of Russian painter Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (1799–1852), a graduate of the Academy of Arts. Anatoly Nikolayevich Demidov became his customer. As a result of an agreement with the industrialist, Karl Bryullov assumed the obligation to train young serf artists.

During the studies, the most careful attention was paid to the study of classical sculpture. Visiting galleries and exhibitions was an obligatory part of the lessons. The works of old masters like Harmenszoon van Rijn Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Vecellio Titian, and Antonio da Correggio nurtured the ability to paint in a bold, free, and expansive way. Karl Bryullov treated his students with respect and attention.

The painting “Gardener” was inspired by a picture of the Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio — “A Young Man with a Basket of Fruit”. The two portraits have much in common: the compositional arrangement, the gardener, the basket of fruit, the clothing, the format, and the physical resemblance of the young men. Still, in Caravaggio’s work everything is more graceful and expressive. It was apparently not just about the copying skills. Most likely, the student was given the task of reproducing the original from memory as at the time it was not allowed to make copies right in galleries.

Inspiration and talent of the teacher disposed for serious work, his attention and support strengthened self-confidence. In October 1831, Anatoly Nikolayevich Demidov, who was in Florence, ordered to bring the serf artists studying in Rome back to Russia. This is how Stepan Khudoyarov’s first Italian apprenticeship ended.