His task was - to
return to society from oblivion the whole social layer. The state didn't
forget disabled veterans, they were fed, put and dressed. But they were
forgotten by society, the public, writers, artists. And society needed them
even more, than they - society. Confirmation to that was the powerful flow of
publications about this series at the beginning of "perestroika”, a large
number of radio and teleprogramms, creation of documentary films. In 1995 in
the Central Artists House during the anniversary exhibition "Devoted to
defenders of the Motherland” we saw
even the poster - plagiarism with a portrait of "The Old Soldier"
(asking handout).
In "The
Unknown Soldier" the orphans who have already become grown up children
of the missing persons of the war,
often "recognized" their fathers. Nikolay Grigoryevich Voloshin
from Bishkek came to Moscow and to the island of Valaam for many years,
telling everyboby about the destiny of his father who hadn't returned from
the front and whom he recognized in the portrait. Similar cases appeared
almost after each TV program. Having published in May 2001 the drawing
"The Unknown Soldier", the "Zhizn” newspaper editorial office
received the touching letter from the Moscow area:
"... You
disturbed my soul by this drawing. My brother was the participant of fights
for Stalingrad, and was sent to hospital. Further all the threads have been
broken. My parents, and later I, wrote to all the possible instances,
archives, the Ministry of Defence, but he is still appears the missing
person. My mother was sure through all her life that Boris is alive and so
with this belief she died. I send you the photo of my brother, you see, that
there is a similarity... I beg you, don't disregard my letter... ".
