The exhibition of the Iskitim Museum of Arts and History features Ivan Popov’s portrait of Mikhail Shestov, a native of the village of Srostki.
Just like the entire artistic legacy of Ivan Popov,
this portrait is associated with the name of Vasily Shukshin. The two were not
only second cousins but also kindred spirits whose works were so similar in
their essence that it was almost mystical. In one of his letters, Vasily
Shukshin wrote to his cousin,
I need you so much, my dear brother! I suddenly felt an urgent need for someone dear, someone from my native land, someone close to me by blood and spirit.
During one of his trips to his native Altai village, Shukshin heard about Uncle Misha, a front-line soldier and former teacher of history and geography at the local school. He decided to meet with him and talk. In his memoirs, Ivan Popov recalled,
One summer in Srostki, Vasily asked me to help him, ‘Mother told me you know Uncle Misha, a religious teacher. Could you please be so kind as to visit him and let him know that I need to speak to him? It is for my work.’ Back then, people kept their faith secret… And all of a sudden, a famous person wanted to talk about it… Uncle Misha refused to meet him explaining that Vasily was a secular man, a member of the Communist Party, and not a believer. He was afraid that Vasily planned to do something about their religious community. The next summer, Vasya asked me again. The second time, Uncle Misha finally agreed.
After his conversation with the village teacher, Vasily Shukshin wrote his short story ‘Gena Proydisvet (Let the Light Come)”, in which two main characters, an uncle and a nephew, discuss faith and religion. The writer was interested in the theme of a faith-searching soul.
I wish I had not told Vasya everything back then. I wish we could talk now.
The artist depicted an elderly man who had had a difficult life but had retained a sense of dignity and remained true to his principles and beliefs.
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