Semyon Ipatievich Chernov was born in Altai Krai, South Siberia (near the Chinese/Kazakhstan border, Russia). He studied at the prestigious Kharkov Art Institute. Chairman of the Board of the Altai Organization of the Union of Artists of the RSFSR (1967-1971). Semyon Chernov participated in various regional art exhibitions and his works were also shown abroad in exhibitions of Altai artists in Mongolia and Japan. The artist worked in various genres – portraits, genre compositions, but became famous for his landscapes of the Altai mountains. Gorny Altai was his favourite place, he was often travelling around the region and creating romantic and philosophical images of his native land. His works are still highly appreciated and about twenty of them became part of the collection of the State Art Museum of the Altai Krai. He was active in Barnaul.
Member of the Union of Artists of the USSR (1964).