 In 1835, family issues forced him to return to Kremenchuk, where he became the drawing tutor for a local landowner's family in nearby Poltava Province.Four years later, on the basis of two paintings sent to the Academy, he was awarded the title of "Free Artist".Despite being relatively isolated in the provinces, some of his best-known works were created during the 1840s, some of which are now in the Tretyakov Gallery.