In 1858, Grigorovich accepted the Russian Navy Ministry's invitation to make a round-Europe voyage on warship Retvizan and later described it in "The Ship Retvizan" (1858-1863). Back in Russia, Grigorovich started his own Popular Readings project but this 10-book series failed to make an impact. Grigorovich was planning to comment on the demolition of serfdom in "Two Generals" (Dva Generala, 1864), but this novel, recounting the story of two generations of landowners, remained unfinished. In the mid-1860s he stopped writing altogether to concentrate on studying painting and collecting items of fine arts. "Painting has always interested me more than literature," admitted Grigorovich, whom many specialists considered a scholar in this field.