Nikolay Petrovich Feofilaktov studied in the Konstantin Yuon Art Studio, where he became friends with young Nikolai Sapunov, Serge Sudeikin, and Pavel Kuznetsov. Together they participated in the Scarlet Rose exhibition in Saratov in 1904, and in the Blue Rose exhibition later.
Sergei Diaghilev paid attention to the talent of the young artist and invited Nikolay Feofilaktov to have his first works published in the World of Art journal.
Nikolay Feofilaktov came under the influence of graphic art by Aubrey Beardsley, and was even called Moscow Beardsley. He made all his pictures, vignettes and covers of the Moscow symbolists’ journal Vesy (Scales) in his unique Moscow Beardsley style. His graphic art in a somewhat dilettante style and tackling the subjects of morbid imaginations, masks, candles, strange hermaphrodites, agamic puppets, sphinxes and chimeras with bats were a great success. However, unlike Beardsley, Nikolay Feofilaktov depicted all this without that tragic anguish, but easily and with soft grace, typical for Moscow art.
After 1910 his graphic art unexpectedly lost relevance and the artist shifted to painting. In 1933-1937 he cooperated with the Academia publishing house.