Tatas Hryhorovych Shevchenko was born in village of Moryntsi in the family of serfs. He lost his mother at the age of nine. When Taras wos eleven his father died. So the boy was orphaned and grew up in poverty and misery. At the age of 14 he become a servant in the house of his owner P. Engelhardt. He apprenticed him to the painter Shyriayev for 4 yers. At this time he met the Russian poet Brylov. Brylov painted the portrait of the poet Zhukovskiy and sold it for 2500 roubles. the money used to by Shevchenko's freedom.