He was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he graduated from in 1778 with a Grand Gold medal.

He was subsequently awarded a fellowship to travel to Europe, as was common at the time for talented graduates of the Academy.

[1] Matveyev travelled back and forth in Italy and surrounding countries, painting landscapes.

Eventually, the commissions thinned out, and Matveyev wrote letters to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1789 and 1795, asking to subsidize his return to Russia.

[1] Most of the paintings are made according to the strict rules of classicism, meaning the image is similar to the theater scene, with buildings or trees at the sides.