Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904) was a Russian artist, writer, traveller and collector famous for his detailed artworks of world cultures, and by-that-time unorthodox paintings of war. Born in a family of nobility, he was enrolled into a military school as a boy (as was expected of his family’s standing), but his passion was painting, so he also studied art at the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg and under French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme in Paris. He was later accepted to be a war artist in Samarkand, and much later lived in India, and travelled extensively all over Europe, Asia and America, while continuing to paint prolifically. Below are some of Vereshchagin’s paintings that showcase his incredible observation of other countries’ architecture, traditions and modes of life.

Japanese Woman, 1903; A Buddhist Lama at Pemionchi Monastery, 1875; Japanese Beggar, 1904 by Vasily Vereshchagin.

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