The oil painting titled “Vasily Shukshin School” by Ivan Petrovich Popov depicts a brick building of a village school against a backdrop of wooden houses. The artist worked in the impasto technique.

The two cousins — Ivan Popov and Vasily Shukshin — grew up in the Altai village of Srostki. They had an age gap of three years and were good friends. In his book “Diary of an Artist”, Ivan Popov recalled an anecdote from their childhood,

This was the school where the future writer studied for seven years. After serving in the army, he passed the exams and received a matriculation certificate. In 1953–1954, he worked as a school teacher and even acted as the director. “The Records of Academic Performance and Attendance for 1941–1944” have been preserved in the Srostki school archive. The lists include Vasily Popov. At school, the future writer was listed under this name. After his father was arrested in 1933, his mother changed the family name of her children to her own maiden name.

The most vivid childhood memories of the cousins are connected with the school. For Vasily Shukshin, one such memory was associated with the name of Anna Pavlovna Tisarevskaya (Pisarevskaya), a wonderful teacher. It was she who instilled a love of literature in Vasily Shukshin.

Ivan Petrovich recalled the day from his school years when he met a real artist,

Even then, in childhood, the cousins each chose their own direction in art.

Their memories are vivid evidence of this.

Years later, in 1964, a new brick school building was built to replace the old wooden one in Srostki. New generations of children have been studying there, but the name of Vasily Shukshin, given to the school in 1974, after his death, will never be forgotten and will forever remain in the memory of descendants.