When mentioning the name Savrasov, most people recall the famous painting "The Rooks Have Come Back," while those more informed remember 2-3 of his landscapes, such as "Moose Island in Sokolniki," "The Country Road," and "Rainbow." Stereotypes often arise: the artist of one painting, he drank himself to death, died in poverty, and that the tsarist reality ruined his talent. But how true is this?

The father of the future artist, Kondratiy Savrasov (this was how their surname was spelled in the 19th century), was a wealthy merchant trading in woolen goods near Red Square. He bought a house and accumulated a small fortune. However, he disapproved of his son's passion for drawing, considering it a frivolous pursuit. Alexei spent his days copying illustrations from thick magazines with gouache. One day he took his works to Ilyinka, where they sold luboks and old books, and, to his surprise, sold them to one of the merchants for six rubles for a dozen drawings. At 14, he enrolled in the School of Painting on Myasnitskaya Street and even managed to earn money for his tuition, which cost about two rubles a month.

Savrasov, a favorite of the teachers, graduated from the school at 20 but continued to maintain contact with it. He attended classes, exhibited his paintings and sketches, including views of the Moscow surroundings and works from his trips to Little Russia. Positive reviews of his works appeared in magazines. In 1854, the magazine "Moskvityanin" called Savrasov "the first among landscape painters." That same year, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, the emperor's sister and an art lover, visited the school. Of the seven paintings she purchased at the exhibition, two were by Savrasov. The artist was commissioned to come to St. Petersburg to paint several views for the grand duchess's dacha.

A few years later, Alexei Kondratievich became one of the most famous artists in Russia. It was during this time that he created the painting that immortalized his name, "The Rooks Have Come Back." A tragic event preceded it: in Yaroslavl, on vacation, his newborn daughter, the third child the family lost, passed away. Grieving this loss, Savrasov found solace only in nature and work. Thus, the first sketches of the painting that brought him worldwide recognition emerged.