Pymonenko was one of the most popular artists in Ukraine who continued the Realist tradition in Ukrainian genre painting.
He studied at the school of iconography of the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, in M. Murashko's school and in the St. Petersburg Academy of Art.
Volodymyr Orlovsky introduced him to a circle of famous Realist artists like Ilya Repin, Ivan Shyshkin and Arkhyp Kuindzhi.
His works were displayed in Munich and Paris.
He painted the mural, Dormition of the Mother of God in the Church of St. Cyril in Kiev at the invitation of Mykhailo Vrubel.
His works are often referred to as the encyclopedia of Ukrainian village life.