Yuri I. Vasiliev was born in the Russian Village of Podosinki in 1924. In 1949 he graduated from the Surikov Art Institute out of the workshop of Aleksei Gritsai. Vasiliev is a Russian Impressionist painter in the best sense of the term. His compositions are naïve at first glimpse, but full of depth, space and sensitivity to the natural subject of his paintings. Nature is his primary motif, and the colors he uses display both subjectivity and sensitivity to full effect. Vasiliev's work exemplifies the strengths of the Russian Impressionist school; exceptionally well trained artists producing sensitive, non-commercial paintings that fully embody the dazzling range of human expression.
During his lifetime Yuri I. Vasiliev was honored by three solo exhibitions of his work; 1955, 1959, and 1964. Additionally he participated in many group exhibitions and his works are housed in the permanent collections several museums of the former Soviet Union.