Leonid Solomatkin

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Leonid Ivanovich Solomatkin (1837-1883) was a Russian genre painter.

Solomatkin was born in 1837 and was orphaned soon afterwards. He worked his early life as a shepherd boy and later as a homeless carter travelling and selling religious icons. Solomatkin managed to gain an apprenticeship and began work as a painter. Solomatkin's success was significant, but short-lived. From the late 1860’s he stopped exhibiting and was almost forgotten.