Ivan Pavlov studied at the Shtiglits Central School for Technical Drawing, and at Drawing School of the Society of Encouragement of Arts, as well as Vasily Mate Studio (1891 — 1892) in St. Petersburg.
 

He taught at the Stroganov Art and Crafts School (1907 — 1914), Art School at Ivan Sytin Association (from 1915), and Free Art Studios of Vkhutemas (1917 — 1922) in Moscow. His well-known students include V. I. Sokolov, M. V. Matorin, O. P. Tayozhnaya-Cheshuina, and others.
 

He was a member of the Revolutionary Russia Artists Association from 1925 and a full member of the USSR Artist Association from 1947.
 

Initially he created xylographic reproductions for journals and then shifted to original easel color xylographies and linocuts from the late 1900s.
 

He worked in technique of continuous tone engraving and was one of the first to establish a new type of engraving, whih made the engraver an independent artist.
 

In the first quarter of the 20th century the artist created a series of original engraving albums: Departing Russia, Departing Moscow, Old Province, Ostankino, Landscapes in Color Wood Engravings.

After 1917 he created a series of industrial landscape prints: Volga near Yaroslavl, Oil-carriers on Volga, An Elevator on River Kama, etc.
 

The artist made over 75 bookplates, with six of them created before 1917.
 

Ivan Pavlov died on August 30, 1951 and was laid to rest at the Novodevichy Cemetery (section No. 4) in Moscow.