Perov, Vasily Grigoryevich

Perov, Vasily Grigoryevich

(vəsē`lyē grĭgôr`yəvĭch pyĭrôf`), 1833–82, Russian historical, genre, and portrait painter. He was the leader of the realist school in Russia. His early work was satirical, but he is best known for his sympathetic treatment of scenes of peasant life. Among his outstanding works are A Village Funeral and The Arrival of the Governess. His best-known portraits include those of Turgenev and Dostoyevsky.