The favorite spot for the youth of the seaside city to relax was the Ivan Aivazovsky Art Gallery. It was an extraordinary museum — the first dedicated to a single artist in the Russian Empire. Following Aivazovsky’s death in 1900, the gallery became the property of the city in accordance with his will.

Aleksander Zakrutkin cherished memories of strolling through the gallery halls with his fellow students and friends, marveling at the works of the renowned marine artist. The gallery housed an impressive collection of 406 paintings by Aivazovsky and his students, including masterpieces such as “Brig”, “Mercury”, “Raid on Sevastopol”, “St. George’s Monastery”, “The Sea. Koktebel”, and “Among the Waves”, among many others.

Aleksander Zakrutkin was particularly impressed by the fact that the artist created one painting each day. Inspired by this, Zakrutkin took up drawing himself, completing courses in metal chasing and wood carving, which sparked a serious interest in the arts. Later in his career, while serving as a school principal and head of the regional department of education, Aleksander Zakrutkin established carpentry and metalworking workshops in schools. In these workshops, he created his own works, while his students and teachers crafted various functional and decorative items.