early life and career nicholas chevalier, a russian-born artist, left an indelible mark on the art world with his works in australia and new zealand. born on may 9, 1828, in st petersburg, russia, chevalier was the son of louis chevalier, who oversaw the estates of prince de wittgenstein in russia. his mother was russian. in 1845, nicholas left russia with his father, studying painting and architecture in lausanne, switzerland, and at…