Urmaşul unei familii vechi de nobili, Nikolai Kornilievici Bodarevsky (1850–1921) s-a născut la Odesa. El a absolvit Academia Imperială de Arte din Sankt Petersburg. I-a avut ca profesori pe Timofey Neff, Vasily Vereshchagin şi Piotr Shamshin. Bodarevsky a fost membru al Societăţii expoziţiilor itinerante şi al Societăţii Ruse de Sud a pictorilor. In present operele sale se păstrează in Ermitajul de Stat, Muzeul Rus de Stat, Galeria de Stat Tretyakov, Muzeul de Artă din Odesa şi alte muzee. Portretul lui I. Tereshchenko (1891) pictat de Nikolai Bodarevsky se află in colecţia Muzeului Regional de Artă din Lugansk. Sora artistului plastic, Ecaterina Petrokokino (născută Bodarevskaya) (1852–1930) a fost de asemenea pictoriţă. Ca şi Nikolai Kornilievici, ea a absolvit Şcoala de desen din Odesa. La Academia de Arte Nikolai Bodarevsky a invăţat in aceeaşi promoţie cu Vasily Surikov. Principalele opere ale lui Bodarevsky sunt: portretul maestrului Vasily Safonov, portretele compozitorilor celebri pentru Sala Mare a Conservatorului din Moscova, icoanele pentru catedrala „Invierea lui Hristos pe Sangele Vărsat”, portretul ţarinei Aleksandra Fiodorovna, „In pădurea deasă”, „Fata ucraineancă care paşte gaştele”, „Fata care citeşte” ş.a.

Descendant of the old Moldavian nobility family, Nikolai Kornilievich Bodarevsky (1850–1921) was born in Odessa. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Emperors Academy of Arts. From 1869 to 1873 Nikolai Bodarevsky attended the Emperors Academy of Arts, where he studied with Timofey Neff, Vasily Vereshchagin and Piotr Shamshin. Bodarevsky was member of Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions and South-Russian Art Society. Currently, his works are kept in the State Hermitage, the Russian Museum (St. Petersburg), the Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow), Odessa State Literary Museum, Odessa Fine Art Museum and other museums. Portrait of I. Tereshchenko (1891) by Nikolai Bodarevsky, is in the collection of Lugansk Regional Art Museum. His sister, Catherine Petrokokino (nee Bodarevskaya) (1852–1930) was also a painter. She also graduated from the Odessa Art School. Nikolai Bodarevsky and Vasily Surikov are in the same year at Academy of Arts. Bodarevsky’s major works include: Portrait of maestro Vasily Safonov; Portraits of famous composers for the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory; Icons for Church of Savior on Blood (St. Petersburg); Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; “Deep in the forest”; “Ukrainian Girl tending geese”; “Girl reading a Book” and others.