At the outset of the movement, his canvasses began to resemble the Biedermeier style whereby, according to art historian Sergey Kuznetsov, "portraits, landscapes and still-lifes were painted with equal scrupulousness.

"[2] Kuznetsov notes that unlike the burgeoning group of Romantic artists of the period, "Senff’s landscapes are completely purged of feeling, and they focus on the accurate and precise representation of detail."

During his tenure at the school, he developed a new methodology for teaching practical art and illustration that was, at the time, essential for recording research in fields such as biology, physics, engineering, and human anatomy.

He compiled a seven-volume textbook with his own copper etchings and watercolor plates to teach illustration and painting techniques to entering students at the Universität Dorpat.

Senff secured the talented young boy a place at the University at the age of fifteen, where he studied with scientist Wilhelm Struve before going on to found the Nikolayev Astronomical Observatory in 1827.