Afonin, Old soldier, 1944
From 1 May to June 25, 2021, an exhibition of works by artist and veteran of the Great Patriotic War: Pavel Ivanovich Afonin, is being held at the Road of Life Museum (Shosse Doroga Zhizni 58, St Petersburg).
The exhibition presents a series of selected front-line sketches by a young soldier and artist who experienced the entire Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 with a rifle and pencil in hand. Pavel Afonin joined the front as a student at the Moscow Architectural Institute. At the beginning of the war, Pavel completed intensive training for officers of the engineering forces. Soon yesterday’s art student, became a sergeant and took command of a unit of the 17th separate assault engineer-sapper brigade as part of the 5th Shock Army, with which Afonin took part in the battles for the liberation of Leningrad, Vyborg, Warsaw … and reached Berlin, capturing the journey in his drawings.
Pavel Afonin created portraits of his front-line comrades with phenomenal speed – within 10-15 minutes, often managing to keep a second copy for himself. These portraits served as rare and precious news from the front for relatives and friends, and sometimes the last testament of the life path of the heroes. Today they have become invaluable documents of the war. With the help of Afonin’s works, we can become better acquainted with, and gain a greater understanding of the history of that distant time. They allow us to feel the depth of the frequently inhuman ordeals that have befallen the front-line generation and bow before their perseverance and courage.
After the end of the war, Pavel Afonin returned to his studies, graduating with honours from the Architectural Institute. After becoming a certified specialist, he actively participated in the restoration of destroyed cities – the construction of a new life. Pavel travelled extensively for his work; the exhibition displays watercolour sketches of some of the famous architectural monuments of both the USSR and Russia.
This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of the participants of the war; those who defended their homeland, paving the way for future life. It also celebrates creativity as a life-affirming force and source of inspiration – especially in the most difficult moments of survival and struggle.
The exhibition will be open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm for two months.