Major Vitaly Zakrutkin is depicted in profile, sitting on a rock in military uniform, without a hat and wearing glasses, with a field pouch slung over his shoulder. He is positioned on a hill overlooking the river, with clouds floating in the sky above him.
The portrait of Vitaly Zakrutkin on the bank of the Don was painted by Leonid Yezhov, an artist and friend of the writer from the front lines. This work served as a study for Yezhov’s painting “Major V.A. Zakrutkin, ” which the artist intended to dedicate to Zakrutkin in celebration of his 70th anniversary.
Vitaly Aleksandrovich Zakrutkin is depicted in the portrait wearing a military uniform for a specific reason: the artist was well aware of the details of the writer’s life, as Zakrutkin volunteered for the front in August 1941. He participated in battles on the Caucasian front, helped liberate Ukraine and Belarus, and stormed Berlin, only returning home to the Don at the end of May 1945. The artist captured the writer’s face, reflecting excitement, joy, and hope for a brighter future. While dreaming of this future, Zakrutkin never forgot the scars left by the war, which deeply affected his soul. Memories of the conflict stayed with him until the end of his life. Yezhov noted that Zakrutkin could not avoid discussing the war in any conversation, admitting that two themes predominated in his work: “man on earth” and “man against war”. With inspiration and hope, Zakrutkin expressed his belief that the world would change for the better after the horrors of war.
The writer, a former war correspondent, authored books about past battles and the heroes who fought alongside him, performing remarkable feats in the name of victory over fascism.
Among such books are “Notes of the Caucasus”, “Along the Roads of the Great War”, the stories “Schoening Castle” and “The Fifth Cartridge”, “Sunflower” and many others. The author dedicated the parable story “Mother of the Human” to women who stood up to defend the Fatherland, supporting men, preserving life and love on earth.
Zakrutkin envisioned, “Our faith in humanity is unwavering. We believe that bloody strife, oppression, ignorance, and loneliness will vanish among people. Inequality, lies, slander, and betrayal will disappear forever. Freed from the heavy shackles of the past, humanity will adorn the earth with wonderful gardens and golden fields, multiplying the fruits of the land many times over.”
