Ivans remembering: Gymnasium No. 4 invites to an exhibition of portraits of participants in the special operation

An exhibition of Novgorod artist Elena Vasilyeva, featuring portraits of SVO participants, opened in the regional center in Gymnasium No. 4 named after Hero of the Soviet Union Igor Kaberov. The idea to paint our soldiers came to her with the start of the special military operation. Not only schoolchildren but also the soldiers themselves gathered at the opening of the exhibition the other day, posing for the artist. Journalists from the Novgorod online newspaper learned about the creative meetings between servicemen and Elena, as well as some stories related to her paintings.

The exhibition is located on the second floor of the gymnasium, where children's works can usually be seen. The institution's director Elena Matveeva said that paintings and handicrafts by former students are exhibited in this hall.

"Right now, the exhibition "We Praise Our Fighters" is taking place here. Such events are very important for our children, because we must know the faces of those who protect us. We have no right to be Ivans who do not remember their kinship," said Elena MATVEYEVA, director of Gymnasium No. 4, at the opening.

One of the paintings depicts a soldier with a dog. This soldier found his faithful friend in the SVO zone. By the way, many soldiers bring pets from the front - dogs and cats. The dachshund found by our hero never leaves its owner for a minute. For example, it is forbidden to pass through the checkpoint with animals, and the soldier left his pet at the gate, but the dog made its way into the unit's territory through bypass routes. In the painting, the dog sits calmly in the arms of his man. According to the artist, he posed quietly for many hours.

"Each painting has its own story. For example, one of them depicts a man in a helmet - he is currently in the special military operation zone at a combat post. Recently, I was sent a video about how his call sign was changed: it was Petrovich, now it is Kum. There is a portrait of a soldier with a weapon - he is also at the front. I worked with some of the SVO participants when they came on vacation or returned to Novgorod after being wounded. I painted guys who died, but I immediately gave those portraits to their relatives," says the author of the exhibition, Elena VASIL'EVA.

All the paintings are done in different techniques. Some are in black and white, while others are in color.

"The portrait itself decides what it will be like, " the artist explains. " In general, the idea of ​​painting military personnel did not come to me alone. A large group of people work on such portraits. We are sincerely grateful to the guys who agree to sit motionless for long hours, pose for us, and communicate with us," our interlocutor continued.

In response, the servicemen presented Elena with a letter of thanks from the Association of Veterans of the SVO for her work. Many of them noted that communicating with the artists during the creation of the paintings became a kind of adaptation to civilian life for them.

"These artists have cured many people. A portrait is not painted in one sitting. There were several meetings, and at each of them someone shared their experiences, and someone told about the most intimate. I read the poems that I began to write there," SVO member Sergey LARIKOV tells us.

He admitted that he does not personally know all the guys depicted in the paintings. However, for him they are all comrades in arms, to whom he treats with all warmth:

“ As soon as you see a person from there, a veteran, your soul immediately feels good, as if you’ve met a brother.”

The exhibition “We Glorify Our Fighters” in the gymnasium is a continuation of the project of the same name, which is being implemented with the support of the branch of the state fund “Defenders of the Fatherland” .

Some students from the 4th Gymnasium, who are passionate about creativity, have already asked how they can take part in the exhibition and the project as a whole. Many of them have completed works in a variety of styles and formats.

"We have submitted our project for a grant to the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and are expecting results soon. I hope that we will be supported. This will be a large and significant project. The artists began working on it on January 1. Today, the team consists of over thirty people and already has over 150 completed works," says project manager Marina BARANOVA.

Previously, portraits of the fighters could be seen in the Novgorod Regional Philharmonic, in the hall of the Novgorod branch of the Union of Artists of Russia, in the branch of the "Defenders of the Fatherland" foundation and in the "City" cultural center. Elena Vasilyeva planned that the exhibition in the gymnasium would be until the end of the month. But the director Elena Matveeva asked to extend the exposition so that the faces of our defenders could be seen by those children who come to the school camp. By the way, it starts on May 27. And the exhibition will receive visitors until the end of June.

Photo by Ludmila Stepiko