Konstantin Makovsky (1839–1815) belonged to the opposite group of academic art. Giving a masterly depiction of surroundings, costumes, expensive furs and cloth he tried to present his models in a favourable light without deepening into the psychological characteristics of portrayed people. Such are the portraits of artist’s wife, Julija (1881) and his small children – Sergey – an art critic-to-be and Elena, who became a sculptor and a painter later on. Makovsky’s historical painting is presented in the exhibition by the Removal of Sacred Carpet in Cairo (1876) created under the impression of travelling to Egypt.
