In 1833, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied landscape painting and perspective with his father.

In 1844, while in Palermo, he received a request from Tsar Nicholas I to create an album of Italian scenes.

The following year, he went back to Italy, with funds provided by the Tsar, to create more Italian landscapes.

[3] Two years later, he began participating regularly in the Academy's exhibitions and, in 1852, produced a series of scenes set in Saint Petersburg's suburbs.

[2] His most notable students there included Pyotr Vereshchagin, Eugen Dücker, Julius von Klever and Arseny Meshchersky.