Vyacheslav Schwarz

His father was Lieutenant General Grigory Schwarz [ru], hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 and later chief of the Jaro-Belokany Military District in Zakatali Okrug, where Vyacheslav spent his childhood.

[3] His desire to see more European art induced him to resign from the service in 1863 and embark on another trip, finishing in Paris, where he worked with Jules Lefebvre[2] and made many sketches from life.

He gave up plans to visit Italy and returned to Russia in 1864, submitting a new version of his painting of Ivan the Terrible, only to receive another silver medal.

At the beginning of 1867, he made his third trip abroad, to Paris, on behalf of the Academy, to help prepare the Russian exhibit at the International Exposition, where he acquired several medals.

[3] Feeling somewhat improved towards the end of that year, he returned to Kursk to live with his father, in hopes that the country air and peaceful atmosphere would assist his recovery.