Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ivan Petrovich Argunov entered the world in 1729 as a serf bound to the Counts Sheremetev. He grew up within the household of his uncle, Semyon Mikhaylovich Argunov, who served as steward for Princess Cherkassky.
Between 1746 and 1749, he studied painting under Georg Grooth, a German artist employed by Empress Elizabeth of Russia. Cousins Fedor Leontyevich Argunov and Fedor Semenovich Argunov also taught him while working on decorating imperial residences in Saint Petersburg.
In 1784, Argunov painted what is now considered his masterpiece: Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Peasant Dress. The identity of the sitter remains uncertain despite decades of scholarly debate, with some studies suggesting she was Anna Kovalyova-Zhemchugova or simply an unidentified wet nurse drawn from among the Sheremetev serfs.
From the second half of the 1780s until his death in 1802, he did not paint at all. His time was entirely consumed by managing different estates and businesses owned by the Sheremetevs after he became major-domo of their house on Millionnaya Street.
Ivan Argunov taught painting classes beginning in 1753, four years before the opening of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1757. Among his students were Anton Losenko and Fyodor Rokotov, who later became teachers at the Academy itself.