Konstantin Makovsky was a realist painter. Initially interested in music, he attended the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture but later shifted his focus to painting. Makovsky joined the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, where he created notable works like "Curing of the Blind" (1860) and "Agents of the False Dmitry kill the son of Boris Godunov" (1862). He left the academy in protest in 1863, along with thirteen other students.

Makovsky then joined the Artel of Artists, an association advocating for realistic depictions of old Russian life. He became a founding member of the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions in 1870 and explored North Africa and Serbia, leading to a stylistic shift with a focus on colors and shapes. In 1889, Makovsky received the Large Gold Medal at the World's Fair in Paris for his paintings. By the end of the century, he was highly regarded and well-compensated, considered by some as a precursor to Russian impressionism. Unfortunately, Makovsky died in 1915 when his crew crashed into a tram on the streets of St. Petersburg.