first painting lessons. After the death of his father, at the age of sixteen, he went with a passing wagon train to St. Petersburg, dreaming of entering the Academy of Arts. But the doors of this institution were closed to Bronnikov. Then he became an apprentice in the woodcutting workshop of EE Bernardsky. The famous sculptor Pyotr Klodt drew attention to the capable young man. He procured him a free student ticket for the Academy's drawing classes. Fyodor Bronnikov successfully completed all classes and received a silver medal. In 1853, F. A. Bronnikov graduated from the Imperial Academy of Arts. For a painting on a given theme, "The Mother of God - Joy of All Who Sorrow", he receives a large gold medal, the title of artist and a business trip to Italy. In Rome, on Via Vittoria, he had his own studio. He worked a lot in Italy: he painted portraits of wealthy citizens, Italian landscapes, streets of cities and villages, genre scenes from Italian life, paintings on themes from the history of Ancient Rome and the Middle Ages. He stayed in Italy even after the end of his business trip, as his poor health requires a warm and mild climate. Bronnikov painted pictures on themes from ancient Greek, ancient Roman history, as well as on themes of contemporary Italian folk life.
Well-known works of Bronnikov - "Hymn of the Pythagoreans to the Rising Sun", "Consecration of the Herm", "Cursed Field" and others are in the State Tretyakov Gallery. Most of Bronnikov's works are in Russia, but many were also acquired by amateurs from England, America, Hungary, Italy and Denmark Recent works include: "Abandoned", a painting belonging to the Danish queen;