Nikolai Sychyov was born in
Saint Petersburg. He studied at Gymnasium 11. At the age of 15 years he met the Professor A. Gorovsky who made a strong impression on him. He became interested in painting, got permission to go to the museum of the
Imperial Academy of Arts and learn to paint. He spent so much time drawing that it nearly got him expelled from the Gymnasium. Inside the Academy he saw a lot of famous painters, such as
Vladimir Makovsky,
Arkhip Kuindzhi,
Ilya Repin. Sychyov wanted to be a student of the Imperial Academy of Arts, but his parents refused. After much debate Sychyov decided to devote himself to history. == Career==