Petr
Zakharovich Zakharov

From 1833 a foreign student of Academy of fine Arts. Received medals: in 1835 - 2 silver for the expression in the painting "old Woman telling fortunes in the cards"; in 1836 - 2 silver; in 1835 - the title of class artist; in 1843 was elected to "assigned" and in the same year received the title of academician for the program "Portrait of General A. P. Yermolov". (Kondakov)

Of his other works are portraits of Dr. Inozemtsev , T. N. Granovsky , Postnikova, portraits, pencil drawings, family Postnikovy, p. P. Bulakhov (in the Tretyakov gallery).

1816 (the village of Dada-Yurt in the Terek region) - 1846 (Moscow)

Fate decreed that the Chechen boy from the village of Dada-Yurt (in those days — the Terek region) instead of using years to join the ranks of the horsemen of the Holy war in the Caucasus, became the first artist-Chechen. However, was he as a Russian because at the age of three at the behest of the commander of the separate Caucasian corps of General A. P. Yermolov was given for education to Cossack Zakhar Medonosov (from here the name of the artist). And since 1823 — the Chechen-Russian boy becomes a disciple of major-General P. N. Yermolov, lives some time in Tbilisi, then in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Art education the youth received at the Academy of arts in St. Petersburg, where from 1833 to 1836 he studied under the guidance of A. I. Sauerweid. In 1835 he received a small silver medal for the "expression" manifested in the painting "old Woman telling fortunes in the cards." The following year he graduated from the Academy, received the title of class artist. Apparently, the genes of pride not allowed to put up P. Zakharov with such a modest place in the artistic hierarchy, the talent and hard work did the trick: in 1842 he was awarded the title of "appointed" in academics, and in 1843 for "Portrait of General A. P. Yermolov" — the title of academician. Well-mannered and well-educated Zakharov-Chechen was familiar with many famous Russian people. Some of them he captured on his numerous portraits (among them Mikhail Lermontov in the Leib-hussar uniform, 1838).