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Leonov Pavel Petrovich. b. 1920. Ivanovo region Born and grew up in the village, finished 7 grades of secondary school. Worked as a librarian. Liked to draw from early years, enjoyed to design visual materials for Soviet propaganda purposes. At the age of 19 left the village, worked at the construction sites, lived in the hostels in very poor conditions. In 1945 after graduation from the military college found him on the front, was wounded. Worked as a miner, was condemned for unauthorised leave of his working place. From time to time was drawing for bulletin-board newspapers, worked on the inventing perpetum mobile and other mechanisms. From 1968 till 1979 got instructions at PUAC. His tutor M Roginsky, a well-known artist of Moscow underground, advised Leonov: «Paint your fantasy». The composition «Russian Travellers in Africa Rescuing the Aboriginals from Wolves» was the artist’s reply to this advice. Since 1975 permanently living with his family in the village Mekhovitsy, Ivanovo region. He regards his paintings as projects for future rearrangement of the village life. «A painter ought to be an inventor of the new ideas», - Leonov says. In the last years frequently repeats the themes of his old works. Russian experts list Leonov among top-ten of Russian naive painters. Awarded Grand-Prix at the international exhibition of naive art in 1997 (INCITA-97). Zina Riding a Horse (Zina - an Athlete). 1996 Oil on canvas. 152 õ 107 Author’s inscription, bottom right: ÇÈÍÀ ÍÀ ÊÎÍÅ ËÅÎÍÎÂ Ï 1/XI 1996 ã. Ivanovo Association of Folk Arts It is the author’s wife portrayed in the picture.