Alexey Merinov was born in 1942 in the Kursk region of Russia into the family of a musician. He grew up and graduated high school in his native town. As a child he liked to play with paint and draw in color simple paintings. A friend of his father was a teacher at the local art school and saw young Alexey's talent. On the advice of this teacher Alexey went to art school, first in Kursk and then later in Simpheropol City in the Crimea.
It was while he was in the Crimea that Alexey met and was influenced by the great Soviet landscape master Fedor Zakharov. From Zakharov Alexey learned the expressionist style, wide brushstrokes and dynamic colors that still remain true to the natural subject. He is an heir to the great legacy of classic Russian landscape begun by Konstantin Korovin and handed down to his student, Sergei Gerasimov, who in turn taught Fedor Zakharov. In his career he has participated in many regional and national exhibitions with good success. In 1984 Merinov moved to Russia from the Ukraine. His art is in private collections in USA, Germany, France and other countries around the world. Vail International Gallery is proud to represent this mature master of Russian expressionist art.