Nikolai Petrovich Bogdanov-Belsky, born on December 8, 1868, in the village of Shitiki in the Belsky district of Smolensk province (now in the Oleninsky district of Tver region), was a renowned Russian painter of the Wanderers and a full member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He also headed the Society named after Kuindzhi. Bogdanov-Belsky was the illegitimate son of a peasant woman and received his primary education at a church school, followed by studies at the school of S. A. Rachinsky in the village of Tatevo.

In 1882, Rachinsky sent him to the icon-painting workshop of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and in 1884 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. His mentors included masters such as V. E. Makovsky, V. D. Polenov, and I. M. Prjanishnikov. For his painting "The Future Monk" (1889), Bogdanov-Belsky received a large silver medal and the title of class artist. In 1891, this work was acquired by K. T. Soldatenkov and later by Empress Maria Feodorovna.

After the revolution, the artist emigrated to Latvia. His work mainly included genre paintings dedicated to the education of peasant children, portraits, and impressionistic landscapes. During World War II, he was in the German-occupied territory of Latvia and continued to paint portraits.

In 1944, Bogdanov-Belsky fell seriously ill and was hospitalized in a Berlin clinic. He passed away on February 19, 1945, in Berlin and was buried at the Russian Orthodox cemetery in Tegel.