Nikolai Jaroshenko often portrayed female students. Vladimir Stasov wrote: “He was primarily a portraitist of the young generation, whose life and character he deeply felt, understood and conveyed.’ Jaroshenko’s wife had recently finished the Bestuzhev Courses for Women in St Petersburg (1878) and sat on the board of the grants society.The artist depicts a bashful teenage girl, conveying her spirituality and spontaneity. When Girl Student was shown at the eighth Travelling Art Exhibition, one of the reviewers wrote: ”No one could resist smiling at her confused face".

Jaroshenko Nikolai

Jaroshenko, Nikolai Alexandrovich
1846, Poltava -1898, Kislovodsk
Painter, draughtsman, portraitist, genre artist. Studied at the Poltava Military Academy (18505), under Ivan Kramskoi at the School of Drawing, Society for the Encouragement of Artists (from 1864) and at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1868-74). Studied military engineering at the Michael Aca¬demy of Artillery in St Petersburg (1870). Member of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions (1876), headed the society after Ivan Kramskoi''''s death (1887). Contributed to exhibitions (from 1875), Retired with the rank of major general (1892). Lived in St Petersburg. Moved to Kislovodsk (late 1880s)