Unfortunately Kapustin’s life is not well documented. After attending Aivazovsky’s school it seems he spent much of his working life in Odessa. Despite his inclination to depict the sea he does not seem to have had a nautical background, but his love of nature is reflected in the fact that his other favoured subjects were isolated forest landscapes, inspired by the thick wooded mountains of the Crimea. His work, although heavily influenced by Aivazovsky, is less dramatic, more restrained and accurate in its depictions of nature.