Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov /Васи́лий Дми́триевич Поле́нов was a Russian landscape painter associated with the Peredvizhniki movement of realist artists.
His contemporaries would call him the "Knight of Beauty" as he embodied both European and Russian traditions of painting.
His vision of life was summarized as following: "Art should promote happiness and joy".
As a painter and a humanist, he would truly believe in the civilizing mission of Art, Culture and Education.
The Wanderers’ movement and the Abramtsevo Circle
During the 1880s, his work was spotted by Vladimir Stassov, a supporter of the traveling exhibition society (the Wanderers), which he joined then.
This artistic movement was born from the desire to break with the themes imposed by the Academy to better represent contemporary concerns. In addition, the members promote the accessibility of art among the people by organizing traveling exhibitions (not limited to the artistic centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg).