Vyacheslav Zabelin (1935 – 2001) was born in an old region of Moscow known as Khamovniki. Zabelin was strongly influenced by the Russian world around him, just like most Russian artists. He recounts that his childhood passed by during the years when his country was engaged in a war against fascist Germany. In the late 1940s after the war, he had the opportunity to work in the M.A. Slanov’s studio. As he was working in the studio one day, K.F. Yuon, a famous artist came to the studio. He took notice of Zabelin's work and this made Zabelin to be accepted to the Moscow Art School in 1956. He studied in this college until 1961 when he decided to enroll in the Surikov Institute. The following six year saw Zabelin studying under Professor V. Tsyplakov after which he obtained his diploma and continued on to get his post-graduate degree.
The Old Russian city of Rostov was his most favorite place to paint. This is where a large majority of his paintings originate. Zabelin loved Russia and its architecture because of its wonderful asymmetry that could have been balanced so easily by some small arch or window on its façade. Zabelin highly valued his Russian homeland and the beauty its historic landscape and structures possessed. He felt much the same way about the patterns he saw emerging in the art being created around him. Zabelin became a member of the Moscow River School of painters. He was a major supporter of artistic training and education that was deeply rooted in achievement and tradition. He taught at the Surikov until his death in 2001.
