On her way from Nova-Sad, Serbia back home to Russia where Emma was visiting with her daughter’s family she stopped in Moscow. Arts was her long-term hobby, so Emma went to the Moscow Sate Art Gallery of Alexander Shilov on September 28, 2012. To the left is Emma’s photo and to the right is the photo of her entrance ticket.

Emma saw the beautiful paintings of the artist, including room 223 where there were displayed the latest ones. We are talking about the Gallery, about the arts.

Val (1): I remember one outstanding painter of the epoch of Renaissance, the author of the treatise on arts PIERO DELLA  FRANCESCA said : “Painting is the depiction of the crooked surfaces and volumes on the flatness of the picture performed in such a way that things appear to the eye as alive.”

Emma (2): Yes, it’s right in a sense.

1: What are your impressions from Shilov’s works?

2: The portraits are great, especially of old people. My favorite is one of the woman looking at blooming marsh-tea, 1980, oil on canvas.

Look at the Gallery of A.Shilov:

1: There are 751 oil paitings, many water colors, pastels, carbon crayons here. What are the contemporary ones?

2: Iosiph Kobzon’s portrait.

1: I noticed thar the famous singer I.Kobzon performed at the Shilov’s new presentation in 2003. He has deserved to be represented now at the Shilov’s Gallery, hasn’t he?

2: Maybe, maybe…

1: I observed so many portraits of the painter’s family in this collection. His daughter Masha Shilova is most frequent. They are, no doubt, picturesque but why are so many of them?

2: Why? Why? Because his only daughter died young.

I recollect: I came to visit the capital city one day in 1999 and as always I did, rushed to the Shilov’s Gallery with my friend Ljudmila. Upon entering the building we saw a big white wreath of flowers and we asked the custodian about it.

She explained that it was the time of commemoration of Masha Shilova who passed away recently, the wreath was dedicated to her and that if we wished we could go to the Vaganjkovskoye Cemetery to see ourselves.

So we did.

At the Central Alley, not far from Vladimir Vysotsky’s monument there protruded one grave ornamented all in gold with the statue of a huge bird with spread gilded wings as if protecting the girl’s last sleep.

1: Ah… That is why the portraits of Masha Shilova as a girl, as a teenager, as a young grownup are everywhere. In such a simple way father the artist is coping with his grief.

2: Yes, you’re right. I am also going at present through the difficult time of my life-mourning on the loss of my favorite friend Ljudmila Stolyarova. What a wonderful personality she was, 59 years old! Eternal memory.

1: Emma, take my deepest condolences on this sad occasion, my heart and my tears are with you and with Mr. Shilov.

Listen to the song:I. Kobzon, “In our Yard”