Isaac Ilyich Levitan is a classical Russian landscape painter. His work is particularly renowned for the genre he called "mood landscape" and is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. 

In 1887, Levitan traveled to the Volga River and began painting various landscapes. In 1891, he joined the Society of Traveling Art Exhibitions, exhibiting ten of his paintings at the Moscow Society of Art Lovers. His works were met with wide acclaim and continued to be exhibited in art galleries around the world. The following year, he was awarded a minor silver medal for his work and travelled to Europe, where his work is still appreciated today.

During the late 1870s, Levitan met the Russian writer Anton Chekhov. The two maintained close contact and became best friends. They shared similar perceptions of nature and religion. Both had a passion for art and were highly creative. They were also very much in sync with each other and had mutually encouraging experiences and views. By the time they graduated from college, their works were known around the world and were exhibited in museums and galleries across the globe.