In November 1876, a son named Stepan was born to the burlak Dmitry Ivanovich Nefedov, who became a renowned artist and sculptor. His native village, Baevo, was located in the Simbirsk province, now part of the Ardatovsky district of the Republic of Mordovia. The sculptor's pseudonym is associated with one of the ethnic groups of the Mordovian people, but he wrote it with a soft 'r' and pronounced it softly as well. In his works, he often referred to the images of people from his homeland, conveying their characters and morals shaped by the conditions of peasant life in Russia.

The creativity of this master is characterized by high psychological depth, poetic quality, and special plasticity. Stepan Dmitrievich primarily worked with wood, marble, and cement, finely sensing and revealing the properties of materials. He skillfully transformed seemingly unsuitable and heavy textures into elegant forms. His images were always expressive and lively, which is why he was often called the 'Russian Rodin.'

After finishing the church parish school in the village of Altyshevo, Stepan Dmitrievich worked in icon painting cooperatives and then studied at the School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. In 1907, he went to study in Italy, and then in France, where his creativity was enriched with thematic diversity and deep plastic and psychological explorations.

Upon returning to Russia, Nefedov actively participated in the implementation of Lenin's propaganda plan, creating images of workers and revolutionaries, as well as sculptures of figures from literature and art.

In 1926, he went to France with an exhibition of his works, and then to Argentina, where he lived for over 20 years and created his best works. There, he discovered South American tree species such as quebracho and algarrobo. However, the longing for his homeland never left him, and in 1950 he returned to Russia.

Today, the works of Stepan Erzya are kept in major museums in Russia, as well as in museums and private collections abroad: in Argentina, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.