At the end of every academic year, in June and July, the Repin Academy holds its mandatory summer practice for 1st and 2nd-year students. For a month and a half, we settled into a local dormitory, transforming this small historic village into an open-air studio, classroom, and an inexhaustible source of artistic inspiration.

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The routine was intense and deeply immersive. Each day consisted of visiting one of the four main tourist sites of the area – the complex of Mikhailovskoye, Trigorskoye, Petrovskoye, and the Svyatogorsk Monastery – to paint both the interiors of the museums and the sublime landscapes surrounding them. In addition to the designated locations, we had the freedom to explore the town and choose our own scenes.

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The creative process began with the creation of an esquisse (sketch) on location, which was presented to the professors for critique on weekends. The most successful studies were then selected to be brought to life on large canvases. The artistic routine was complemented by live model painting sessions in the late afternoon and the meticulous reproduction of still lifes, carefully arranged and lit by our teachers.

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Beyond this academic experience, Pushgory (officially Pushkinskiye Gory) is a cultural sanctuary in the northwest of Russia, in the Pskov Oblast. Its name is linked to the great poet Alexander Pushkin, who lived there in exile between 1824 and 1826 on the estate of Mikhailovskoye. It was during this period of isolation that he produced some of his masterpieces, including parts of "Eugene Onegin" and the tragedy "Boris Godunov." After his tragic death, Pushkin was buried in the Svyatogorsk Monastery, turning the locality into a place of pilgrimage for lovers of literature and history.

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Today, the village is the heart of the Mikhailovskoye State Museum-Reserve, a vast complex that preserves not only the poet's house but also the estates of his friends and ancestors, all integrated into a pastoral landscape of gentle hills, serene forests, and the tranquil Sorot River.