Pavel Fedotov Biography Born and raised in Moscow, Russia. Following his father's advice (who was a retired soldier), he attended a military school from the age of 11. While working in the Imperial Guard in St. Petersburg, he studied at the Academy of Arts at night. He resigned from the military in 1844 and devoted himself to drawing. In 1848, he held a solo exhibition of his paintings in St. Petersburg, which brought him instant fame. In 1852, he developed a mental illness and died shortly after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in St. Petersburg. G0313