As an innovator with an active life and art position, V. Tsvirka strived for perfection in everything. He used his own methods in teaching and it was very important to him to keep the connection with students. L. Shchamyaleu said about his teacher with gratitude: “It is Vital Kanstantsinavich, a brilliant painter and teacher, who supported my complicated search for the artistic identity”6. Legends are still told about the open airs of V. Tsvirka and his students. That was free and easy atmosphere that helped the master to open for his students new horizons of magnificent Belarusian nature and to share the secrets of his work. Thus, V Tsvirka followed the tradition of old artists when a teacher worked side by side with his disciples and they could observe the 5 Виталий Цвирко. Каталог выставки произведений / Авт. вступ. статьи О. А. Сур- ский. — Москва, 1983. — 32 с.: ил. 24 process of masterpiece creation. He taught that one should not paint nature cold-heartedly, but first of all one should feel the impulse inside, should kindle a spark and learn the wisdom of harmony that ruled all living things on Earth and become a part of it. “Only when alone with nature it is possible to hear its heart”, said V. Tsvirka6. In the middle of the 1950s the master experienced a new creative rise due to general changes in the social and artistic spheres of life in the country. Since that time diverse and unique Belarusian nature became a constant source of inspiration for V. Tsvirka. At the Watermill (1954) could be called such a turning point in his creative work. The talent of the artist reached its full height. An active art position, indisputable authority among colleagues and his contribution to the development of the national school of painting enabled Vital Kanstantsinavich to be appointed Secretary of the Board of the USSR Union of Artists (1961—1967) and from 1962 to 1963 he was the Chairman of the Board of the USSR Union of Artists. V. Tsvirka made the search for new motifs of native landscapes and their original compositional solutions his principle in work. He preferred to work outside gaining a creative impulse from his communication with nature. He painted in one or two sessions. V. Tsvirka could catch the essence of a scene and summarize his impressions with the help of modern graphic methods. The end of the 1950s-the beginning of the 1960s were characterized by laconism, expression, sharp line rhythms, colouristic restraint with bright colour accents in the artistic language of painting. It was connected with the so-called “severe style” that changed pompous art of the Stalin era. The genre of landscape showed those tendencies in epic canvases with generalized symbolic images of the native land. In the paintings of that period (Logoisk Tale (1960), My Motherland (1960), On Lake Svir (1962), The Neman (1962), Tale about Polesye (1964—1965), Braslav (1966) (both from the series In the Belarusian Land)) V. Tsvirka tried to depict typical sighs of Belarusian 6 Виталий Цвирко. Каталог выставки произведений / Авт. вступ. статьи О. А. Сур-ский. — Москва, 1983. — 32 с.: ил. 25 nature and express its beauty and romantic image. For the series of landscapes V. Tsvirka was awarded an honorary title “Peoples Artist of the BSSR” in 1963. In 1967, he was awarded an honorary title “the BSSR State Prize Winner” for the series In the Belarusian Land. However, the artist was not interested in the methods of the “severe style” for long. His bright and unconventional talent could not be limited by any canons existing in art. The artist created his own peculiar style based on the fusion of impressions about nature observation. The style distinguished from everything he had made in the previous period. Despite of using expression stroke his landscapes became more realistic. The master thought that “a landscape should be recognized exactly as a Belarusian one without confusing it with other”7. He created many landscapes that became classics of Belarusian painting: Braslav (1966), In Pesky (1966), Homeland (1968), Stolbtsy (1968), Gancha is the Land of Partisans (1969), Kalozha (1969), Zaslavl (1974), The Sun in March (1982), Rosy Day (1982). There were no signs of time in the works of V. Tsvirka but at the same time his style corresponded to the epoch when he lived and worked. In the 1980s V. Tsvirka took a great interest in the genre of still life which greatly enriched his experimental creative work. Still lives of the master were full of intimacy and coziness notwithstanding epic compositional solutions (Still Life with a Vase. Autumn Motif, Still Life with a Mirror, Still Life with Daffodils; all — 1982). In the paintings V. Tsvirka admires the poetry of day-to-day life and shows Eternity in triviality. The master worked in watercolours, tempera and oil but preferred the later. However, his sketches in watercolours should be considered. The essence of watercolours was in harmony with artistic temperament of Vital Kanstantsinavich. V. Tsvirka’s landscapes in watercolours are distinguished by incredible freedom of technique and singularity of images. Peculiarity of the air is felt in such paintings as Late Autumn, Thaw (both — 1975), Logoisk Area, First Greenery, Melted Snow, Orthodox Church in Zaslavl (all — 1980). The master 7Крепак Б. А. Виталий Цвирко / Б. А. Крепак. — Минск: Беларусь, 1985. — 427 с.: ил. 26 often used watercolours for creating winter landscapes. In the painting Roman-Catholic Church in Rakov (1980) V. Tsvirka achieved the effect of snow shining by watercolour wash and the slightest colour nuances. Contemporaries understood the meaning of creative work of V. Tsvirkafor the national school of painting in Belarus. He was awarded an honorary title “Honoured Art Worker of the BSSR” (1955) for the contribution to the development of Belarusian art, besides the artist was awarded with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971), the Medal of Francysk Skorina, etc. The master passed away on the 11th of June, 1993 when he was 81. The artist was buried in the East Cemetery in Minsk. V. Tsvirka is the artist recognized not by the signature but by the artistic style. Creative work of Vital Kanstantsinavich laid the foundation of the traditions which are followed now by Belarusian landscape painting. He brought up a whole pleiad of disciples and many of them made a valuable contribution to the development of Belarusian art: “My true followers are those painters who studied from me but their works are absolutely unlike mine. These are L. Shchamyaleu, D. Aleinik, B. Arakcheeu, N. Kazakevich, G. Poplausky, I. Rei and many others”, said V. Tsvirka8. Paintings of V. Tsvirka may be found in the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus, in the funds of the Belarusian Union of Artists, in the Museum of Modern Fine Art in Minsk, in the State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, in local history museums of Belarus, in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and in other museums of the Russian Federation and also in private collections in Belarus and other countries. As for today, the collection of works of Vital Tsvirka in the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus (156 paintings) is one of the largest collections in the world. It wholly demonstrates main periods of master s creative work. Natalia Syalitskaya ’Крепак Б. А. Виталий Цвирко / Б. А. Крепак. — Минск: Беларусь, 1985. — 427 с.: ил. Сакавік. Халодны дзень. 1947 Март. Холодный день. 1947 March. Cold Day. 1947 29 Каля млына. Поўдзень. 1954 Около мельницы. Полдень. 1954 At a Watermill. Noon. 1954 31 Пасля дажджу. 1958 После дождя. 1958 After the Rain. 1958 33 Лагойскі сказ. 1960 Логойский сказ. 1960 Logoisk Tale. 1960 Сакавіцкая раніца. 1947 Мартовское утро. 1947 Morning in March. 1947 34 35 У Пясках. Лета. 1966 В Песках. Лето. 1966 In Pesky. Summer. 1966 37 Прыпяць. Вясна. 1966 Припять. Весна. 1966 The Pripyat. Spring. 1966 38 Прыпяць. 1963 (з серыі «На зямлі беларускай») Припять. 1963 (из серии «На земле белорусской») The Pripyat. 1963 (from the series In the Belarusian Land) 39 Браслаў. 1966 (з серыі «На зямлі беларускай») Браслав. 1966 (из серии «На земле белорусской») Braslav. 1966 (from the series In the Belarusian Land) 40 Блізу Беразянкі. 1972 Вблизи Березянки. 1972 Close to the Berezyanka. 1972 41 Блакітны дзень. 1980 Лазурный день. 1980 Azure Day. 1980 42 Родны край. 1967 Родной край. 1967 Native Land. 1967 43 На Прыпяці. Дрэвы скінулі лісце. 1966 На Припяти. Деревья сбросили листву. 1966 At the Pripyat. Leafless Trees. 1966 45 Стоўбцы. 1968 Столбцы. 1968 Stolbtsy. 1968 47 48 Мая Радзіма. 1960 Моя Родина. 1960 Му Motherland. 1960 49 Нёман. 1962 Неман. 1962 The Neman. 1962 51 Вясна. Гракі прыляцелі. 1975 Весна. Грачи прилетели. 1975 Spring. The Rooks Have Returned. 1975 52 Ганча — зямля партизанская. 1969 Ганча — земля партизанская. 1969 Gancha is the Land of Partisans. 1969 53 Каложа (Царква XII ст. у Гродне). 1969 Каложа (Церковь XII в. в Гродно). 1969 Kalozha (The Church of the XII cent, in Grodno). 1969 54 Ружовы дзень. 1982 Розовый день. 1982 Rosy Day. 1982 55 Восеньскі матыў. 1982 Осенний мотив. 1982 Autumn Motif. 1982 56 Нацюрморт з люстэркам. 1982 Натюрморт с зеркалом. 1982 Still Life with a Mirror. 1982 57 Нацюрморт з нарцысамі. 1982 Натюрморт с нарциссами. 1982 Still Life with Daffodils. 1982 59 Адліга. 1975 Оттепель. 1975 Thaw. 1975 60 Позняя восень. 1975 Поздняя осень. 1975 Late Autumn. 1975 61 Талы снег. 1980 Талый снег. 1980 Melted Snow. 1980 62 1 Першая зеляніна. 1980 Первая зелень. 1980 First Greenery. 1980 63 64 На возеры Свір. 1962 На озере Свирь. 1962 On Lake Svir. 1962 65 Лагойшчына. 1980 Логойщина. 1980 Logoisk Area. 1980 66 Царква ў Заслаўі. 1980 Церковь в Заславле. 1980 Orthodox Church in Zaslavl. 1980 67 Спіс ілюстрацый Старонка Список иллюстраций £jst illustrations 29 Сакавік. Халодны дзень. 1947. Палатно, алей.