The senseless military drill characteristic of the time of Nicholas I was frequently criticised in the literature and visual art of the mid-19th century. Alexei Ustinov s painting is a vivid example of the satirical attitude toward "Mars mania" in Russian society. The name of the painting is borrowed from Alexander Herzen''s story Doctor Krupov, first published in a censored version in 1847 in the magazine Sovremennik.

Ustinov Alexander

USTINOV, Alexander Vasilievich
1796, ? - 1868, St Petersburg
Painter. Only one painting by him is known so far. Graduated from the First Cadets Corps, served in the Russian Army. Teacher. Director of the Vilno Grammar School. Received good education, took interest in art. Acquaintance of the Decembrist Ni¬kolai Bestuzhev, Karl Brullov and Lev Zhemchuzhnikov. Spent his last years in St Petersburg.