Philip was born on October 22, 1869, in the village of Kazanka, Orenburg region. His parents were poor peasants, and in a large family, education was not considered. His father believed that no scholars came from poor peasants. However, Philip showed an interest in drawing from childhood, sketching with charcoal on walls and gates. His creative inclination came from his grandfather, who was a woodcarver. He learned to read and write from a local feldwebel.

When Philip turned 16, a monk from Athos came to the village, visiting relatives. Together with him, Philip went to Greece to learn icon painting. The money for the trip was collected by the whole community. In Athos, he found himself in the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon, where he became a novice, followed the rules, and worked in the icon painting workshop.

Philip lived there for seven years and would probably have stayed forever if not for a chance encounter. At that time, the famous Russian sculptor Vladimir Alexandrovich Beklemishev, traveling through Europe, decided to visit the Orthodox shrine. Upon seeing the works of Philip Malyavin, he was struck by his subtle sense of tone and accuracy of drawing. Beklemishev persuaded the monks to let Philip go, brought him to St. Petersburg, and settled him in his home.

In the autumn of 1892, the twenty-three-year-old Philip came to take an exam at the Imperial Academy of Arts. He stood out among the others: simple facial features, monastic clothing, long hair. Mumbling something under his breath, he signed his drawing. He passed the exam successfully and mastered the head class program in two months. In 1894, Malyavin began working in Ilya Repin's studio, painting portraits of classmates and on commission.

He worked quickly, like the Impressionists, and his paintings often caused a sensation. From depicting noble gentlemen, he shifted to the theme of peasants, which was close to him. Two works painted in the summer of 1895, "Peasant Woman Knitting a Stocking" and "With a Book," were purchased by Tretyakov.

In 1899, Malyavin painted the work "Laughter" for his diploma defense, depicting laughing women in bright outfits. The professors rejected the work, considering it idea-less and provocative. Malyavin received the title of artist thanks to Repin's recommendation for the portraits exhibited earlier.

A year later, the painting "Laughter" was sent to the World Exhibition in Paris, where it received a gold medal. It was shown in Venice, and the Italian government bought the painting for the Museum of Modern Art.

After his success, Malyavin was included in the book "History of Russian Painting of the 19th Century." He got married, bought an estate near Ryazan, and in 1906 he was elected an academician. After that, Malyavin went to Paris.

In 1911, he presented a family portrait, which disappointed viewers expecting expression and character. After that, the artist experienced a creative crisis.

New works appeared only in 1916, and instead of laughing faces, gloomy and unfriendly ones looked out from the canvases.

After the revolution, Malyavin moved to Ryazan, where he helped open an art gallery and art workshops, teaching a little.

In 1919, his first solo exhibition took place. Malyavin was invited to Moscow, where he made sketches of Lenin, Trotsky, and painted a portrait of Lunacharsky.

In 1922, he left for Paris with his family to organize an exhibition and stayed there. Two years later, his second solo exhibition took place. He then moved to Nice, continuing to paint. Philip Malyavin passed away on December 23, 1940, at the age of 71 and was buried in a Russian cemetery.