Gagarin’s niece and Oleg Novitsky choose young Belarusians’ art for space book

The work of grand prix winner Aleksei Voropayev became the “face” of the book about space, A Glance That United the World. The limited-edition publication brings together all the best works by participants and tells the story of the Belarusian contribution to space exploration. Incidentally, the young man’s entry was chosen as the best of 2,000 drawings from across Belarus. Aleksei is currently a student at Bobruisk State Industrial and Construction College. Initially, a teacher suggested he take part.

“When they told me the theme was space, I immediately thought of the first man in space. Becoming a cosmonaut takes superb health and enormous effort. I see Yuri Alekseyevich [Gagarin] as brave, resilient, and strong-willed, and I tried to put that into my drawing. It took about two weeks, and a master helped me with the colors. I learned it all at art school,” Aleksei said.

In the young man’s view, space is a complex, separate world. He sees the mysterious expanse as something frightening, mesmerizing, and interesting. “Space inspired me greatly when I was a child. I would often lie on the ground, look at the stars, and wonder what was out there. I studied the planets, and I even have a favorite one: the pulsar Lich. I have seen many images, and each one evokes both fear and admiration in me,” the prize winner added.

The book with the winner’s drawing on the cover stirred a whirlwind of emotions in its author. “I never would have thought it would turn out to be the best of the best. I saw the other works, and they are all good in their own way. If it were possible, I would personally award each of them for their abilities. I am sure the main thing is not victory but participation, and the pleasure of the process, which I also experienced,” he said. And he described his impressions of meeting Yuri Gagarin’s niece briefly: “It felt as if I had stood next to Gagarin himself.”

Young artist Sofya Yenushkevich took first place. She said the theme immediately caught her attention. The girl realized it was an excellent chance to share her vision of the world through the prism of art. She has been drawing since early childhood: she attended a studio and then practiced on her own for many years. “For a long time I did not dare to study professionally. On the advice of friends, I wanted to enroll in an art school, but I greatly doubted my abilities and feared my works would be considered unpromising. Fortunately, I overcame that fear. During my studies, I already took part in an international competition and won a prize, which gave me confidence,” she noted.

The work itself took a great deal of time. “I wanted to test my abilities and create something truly meaningful. The process was very painstaking and took 38 hours. I did everything myself, from the sketch to the final touches. I wanted to bring every detail to perfection so as to convey the central idea as accurately as possible: the fragility of our world in the boundless universe,” the artist added.

Sofya was inspired to create the painting by the thought that, from space, the Earth looks like a single whole, and countries have no borders. “Before the greatness of the universe, we are all one big family, and space is a realm that unites the efforts of scientists for our common future. Against the backdrop of the cold and dangerous cosmic vacuum, our planet and the very symbols of life, water and a young sprout, look especially fragile. Only by joining forces in an atmosphere of friendship and harmony can we preserve our common home and take confident steps toward the stars,” the author is convinced.

The girl not only received pleasant and useful gifts but also visited an aeroclub. “Many thanks to the organizer of the competition, the Belarusian Peace Foundation, for this amazing opportunity and for believing in my work,” she said.