 He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Andrey Ivanovich Ivanov, Alexei Yegorov and Vasily Shebuyev; graduating in 1824, having received several medals.In 1825, he became a "pensioner" of the Academy, on condition that he continue to study and improve.He received a gold medal and a stipend for a study trip outside of Russia in 1830, as recognition for his painting "Socrates, Before his Death, Talking with Students About the Immortality of the Soul".