Boris Vasilyevich Bessonov (Bessonov) (1862, Moscow – 1934, Paris) – Russian landscape painter. He was born in Moscow to a family of a doctor and amateur artist V. V. Bessonov, who was one of the founders of the Society for Mutual Assistance of Russian Artists. Already in childhood he showed artistic abilities and began to study painting under the guidance of a family friend, the famous artist Vasily Grigorievich Perov, who had a significant influence on his work. Bessonov graduated from the 2nd Moscow Classical Gymnasium, after which he entered Moscow University. In parallel with his university education, he attended classes at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (MUZhVZ), where his teachers were outstanding masters of painting of that time, including Alexey Kondratyevich Savrasov. It was Savrasov, known for his landscapes, who became an important mentor for Bessonov, helping him develop an interest in depicting nature. In 1880, Bessonov began serving in the Ministry of Agriculture, which gave him the opportunity to travel around Russia. These trips influenced his artistic vision: the nature of the Russian provinces, abandoned estates and winter landscapes became the main themes of his work. The artist especially loved to depict noble parks, immersed in silence and desolation, as well as snow-covered Russian landscapes, conveying the melancholic charm of a bygone era on his canvases. In 1922, after the revolution and the Civil War, Bessonov emigrated. First, he ended up in Constantinople, then on the island of Lemnos, and later settled in France, in Paris. There he began collaborating with the gallery of L. Gerard, where he exhibited and sold his works. His landscapes were in demand both in Europe and beyond, including South America and England. In 1931, Bessonov began to participate in exhibitions at the Salon des Indépendants, which cemented his position on the French art scene. Boris Bessonov died in Paris in 1934. His works have been preserved in museum collections in France and England, testifying to the talent of the artist, who managed to convey the spirit of Russian nature and cultural landscapes on his canvases, even while far from his homeland.
