Vladimir Zhivotkova loved and still love. In his studio the lights are always cordial. At any time you can look at the light, to discuss the works of life, to argue about the eternal and beautiful. In his character harmoniously coexisted restraint of temperament and impulse of the soul, charm and a certain insularity, remoteness of the creative personality, which is characteristic of the desire for solitude, withdrawal into his inner world.

Born in Tula Oblast, Vladimir Zhivotkov passionately fond of Kaluga and Kaluga region. His youth had in the sixties, because in the master reflected the views and spiritual quest of generation. Only the artists of those years could sincerely extol homely life of the Soviet people, with love to write industrial landscapes, keeping in mind the faith in the bright communist future. However Zhivotkov with the same passion he could expose a bold criticism of his difficult time. His soul could not tolerate the destruction of beauty and the Orthodox faith. With pain he withdrew on his canvases silhouettes of churches, whose the dome has long fallen to the ground and the walls are not fully chants, and silence the silent deadly oblivion.

He could depict a metal pipe, traffic poles and ramshackle huts. Some special charm inherent and plumbing still life "and the image of an endangered villages Soviet Russia. For all the intimacy of his paintings of objects and people they are often monumental, lofty and significant, as the phenomenon of the first magnitude.

The exhibition, which opened recently in the gallery "image", turned capacious, rich and good. A good because it prepared with loving hands of friends and colleagues of Vladimir on art workshop - Director JAG "image" Valentina Volkova, painters Elena Belova, Vitaly Konyakhin and son artist Sergei Zhivotkova.

Particularly eye-catcher painting "Evening. In the studio. From the window - view of the night Kaluga. One of the most familiar urban landscapes, the intersection of Kirov and Lenin. Outside, the lights are burning, but here in the room, unseen, felt the presence of the artist. Here on the windowsill is a circle. It may seem incidental, but it seems it is here, and stopped a moment. You know, you feel: a couple of minutes an artist, tired of the palette and paints, put a cup of tea for the guests, who can look at a modest shop, stuffed with numerous canvases.

And next to another canvas - "Verses". Also paused a moment - just the old chair stood a man and left the room, and the pages of the book if they left a moment ago thumbed his fingers. And in the room hovering strings - maybe Pushkin, maybe Pasternak: Here it is - the second life of a creative person. He died a poet, but his poems are alive, we lost a wonderful artist, but his heart beat is still heard in museums and galleries.

Friends and colleagues of Vladimir Zhivotkova spared no kind words, paying tribute to the blessed memory of a remarkable man and artist.

Completed the opening of an exhibition performance Kaluga bard Alexei Zaporozhtsya. Executable their songs sounded very symbolic: "Everything in life comes too late," Do not change your destiny ": Alas, the people's love often comes late, because certainly in the life of an artist Zhivotkov often encountered incomprehension and alienation. But fate does not really change. And happy are they, whose life after his earthly end moves to a different level of existence - creation, favorite people.

Natalia Golovatyuk