Khariton Platonov was a genre painter and art professor. Born into a peasant family, he attended the Imperial Academy of Arts fr om 1859 to 1870, receiving silver medals for his drawing skills. After graduation, he worked as a lecturer in Tsarskoye Selo and gained recognition for his works exhibited at the Academy.

Platonov's career highlights include receiving a gold medal from the Academy's council in 1878 for his painting "Bulgarian Boy" and being awarded the title Academician in 1893.

From 1877 onwards, Platonov resided in Kyiv, wh ere he taught at the Kyiv Drawing School. He contributed to the mural restoration project at St. Cyril's Church under Mikhail Vrubel's guidance from 1884 to 1889. In 1901, he played a role in reorganizing the drawing school, which later became the Kyiv Art School, and had notable students such as Mykola Pymonenko, Mykola Burachek, and Mykhailo Zhuk.

Platonov exhibited extensively throughout Russia and had significant showings at the 31st and 32nd exhibitions of the Peredvizhniki, a group of realist artists. His work showcased his skill in capturing the genre scenes and his particular focus on portrait painting of young women.