Sketch «Ilya» with its story at the «School of the Future» exhibition
In the center of the show-room is a sketch «Ilya» to the picture «Young Cossacks».
The original picture «Young Cossacks» is in one of the museums in Russia.
The sketch «Ilya» being an undeniable rarity was made by the Honored Worker of Arts, Gabdulla Tukay Prize Winner Alexey Petrovich Burlai
The sketch is based on remembrances of youth and occupies a seemingly minor part in the picture.
However, it gave impetus to creation of a picture of historical value.
In 1932 the family of Pyotr Grygorovich Burlai lived in Oristopol (Aristopol) of Pokrovsky district of Dnyepropetrovsk region. At that time life of a family with many children was very difficult and the father decided to set off on a journey to Dneproges construction site, where from 1927 his eldest son Vasiliy Burlai already worked.
Pyotr Grygorovich Burlai was a participant of Austrian-Hungarian war. After injury as an invalid (already without a hand) he was sent for treatment to Arestopol, where he married Maria Kaliberda in 1906.
A journey of the father with the children was long, they walked many kilometers. On the way they met a senior youth (standing in the center of the picture facing a spectator, a younger brother Ivan by his side, his fate since 1941 is unknown). They fell into talk and settled themselves for conversation.
Undoubtedly the talk was about a grandiose construction of Dneprostroy, where the father with the children was going to…
On the left in the first row with a bugle Alexey Petrovich shows himself (with his back turned to the spectator), next to him is younger sister Raisa, then brother Ilya, then senior sister Alexandra.