Valerian
Konstantinovich Kamenev

Attended classes at the Imperial Academy of arts and received the title of class artist.

In 1857, for "view of the island Starve, in Saint-Petersburg" was elevated to the rank of academician.

In 1859 he travelled around Western Europe, where he brought a lot of studies and sketches. Was an art teacher in different schools. He mainly painted views of the outskirts of St. Petersburg, and Finland.

Valerian K. Kamenev ( 1822 - 14.12.1874 ) — academician of painting, was born in 1822 in the province of Novgorod, died on 14 Dec 1874 in Gatchina. A gentleman by birth, a graduate of the Novgorod school, he, until he have finished the course, came in 1838, for local criminal chamber, then moved to the provincial office, and in 1841 pricelist to the Department of Appanages, and in 1845 was assistant chief in the Specific office.

Feeling long been attracted to painting and especially landscape painting, he, by moving to Petersburg, he began to attend classes at the Academy of fine Arts, and in 1848 a few of his landscapes was awarded the title of class artist. Going in 1850, the governing Senate, the Department of heraldry, and in 1857 the Department of the Ministry of Justice, Kamenev, erected in the same year the title of academician for "view of the island near St. Petersburg Starve", soon retired from the bureaucratic career and after traveling with artistic purpose in Europe, engaged exclusively in the teaching of drawing in various educational institutions: in the Marine corps, (1858-1864). in Artillery and Engineering schools, at the Petersburg seventh gymnasium (1862), in the Gatchina orphan Institute (1869-1886). in Gatchina girls ' school.

His landscapes were mainly dedicated to the types of Finland (Helsinki, Kivach waterfalls and KURO), St. Petersburg (Petrovsky, Krestovsky, Fast) and generally the Metropolitan area (Lakhta, Saint Petersburg, Gatchina), and finally Switzerland (Glacier Rosenbaum, lake Geneva, Canton of Glarus); in addition, he painted portraits of the Highest persons for different institutions and individuals (the Emperor Paul I, Empress Maria Feodorovna, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Prince Pyotr Georgievich of Oldenburg), image (for the Church of the Preobrazhensky life guards regiment. Cuirassier regiment), he made several engravings of strong vodka.