In fine arts, Ivan Popov’s paintings are the counterpart of Vasily Shukshin’s prose. Throughout their lives, the two cousins maintained a true friendship and sincere respect for each other. In their art, they praised the place where they spent their childhood. They both left their native village of Srostki at an early age but always longed to return there.

“And it seems to me that here, in the place you came from and grew up in, there is some tremendous power, some life-giving force, which you have to touch in order to recover the vital circulation of fresh blood that seemed exhausted. Evidently the will to live and the firmness of spirit that was brought here by our ancestors still lives in the people here to this day, and there’s something in the belief that the air of home, the native speech, the song you heard in childhood, and a tender word from your mother can heal the heart,” Vasily Shukshin wrote in his essay “The Place Where I Was Born”.

The study “Ice Drifting on the Katun River” illustrates Vasily Shukshin’s short story “Styopka”,

As a rule, Ivan Popov painted portraits of friends, relatives, and fellow villagers in Srostki, and made landscape studies in the Altai Mountains. “Ice Drifting on the Katun River” is an exception. It was part of a series of winter studies that Ivan Popov painted in his native village. When the snow first begins to melt, it is difficult to paint studies en plein-air, as the cold prevents artists from spending a lot of time outside. As a rule, artists finish their studies in the studio. The displayed study is unique as it was painted completely from life. The viewer sees the artist’s first impression of the scene transferred directly to the canvas.