Mikhail Bocharov was a Russian theatrical painter and landscape artist. Came from a merchant family (according to other sources — from serf peasants). He received his artistic education first at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (1848–1852), where he studied under Karl Rabus, then continued his studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1852–1858) as an auditor, later becoming a state academician. During his years of study, he was repeatedly awarded medals by the Academy. In 1859, he was sent to Europe, where he perfected his skills with renowned landscape painters in Munich, Düsseldorf, and Geneva. In 1863, for his European landscapes, he received the title of Academician of Landscape Painting. From 1864 until the end of his life, he worked as a decorator for the Imperial Theatres, primarily at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and from 1881 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Over thirty years, he created 188 sets for 95 productions. He designed the premieres of operas by Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", Pyotor Tchaikovsky's "Vakula the Smith" and "Iolanta", Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Snow Maiden", Alexander Serov's "The Power of the Fiend", and many others. In 1879, he received the title of Academician of Decorative Painting. A representative of the academic movement, Bocharov strived for historical authenticity, especially in productions on national themes. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum collection holds a large number of paintings, scenery sketches, letters, and other items related to the artist's life and work.