Translated from Russian.

Anna Valtseva, the writer, the widow of artist P.Valius
Fragment from article:

Moscow artist Pjotr Valius
(1912 - 1971)

He was the high, beautiful, blue-eyed person. With soft manners, slow movements. Expression of thoughtfulness on his face was easily replaced by an affable smile. "Lovely", "soft", "intelligent" - so spoke about him friends.

And … were surprised, having seen for the first time his painting. " Pjotr Adamovich, never could assume, that you such an artist! " How many time he heard this phrase! He smiled in embarrassment, but in a smile there was a pleasure and a little bit of children's celebration.

He has lived all life in Moscow, if he leaved  for a short while then hurried to return. And alongside with it everyone who saw his pictures, unanimously speak about global ideas, power of color, freedom of a composition - about the free spirit expressed in plastics, about understanding of tragedy of the world, compassion to mankind and admiration overlapping all of a life, ecstasy a life, love to a life! So those who saw his canvases unanimously speak about art of Valius. Whence, with which means, how the artist has achieved it? Critics still should understand it.

Pjotr Valius's life was poor with external events. The childhood has has taken place in the Moscow intelligent family far from art. His parents were pharmacists. Peter became the engineer under the insisting of parents .

But, being the student, and later, becoming the engineer, Peter gave all free time to the painting which has grown fond to him. He has made friends with beginning artist Vasily Peregudov. This country son, who was 18 years old when for the first time had seen steam locomotive, in 25 investigated art of Curbe, copied Coreau and admired Matisse. Vasily was older than Pjotr, he earned for a life as designer of gardens, in the evenings was engaged in drawing and painting in several studios at once. The friendship with Vasily has filled that shortage of spirituality from which Peter suffered in the parental house. In 1934 Vasily has acquainted Pjotr with small cheerful schoolgirl Anja. Three years later Anja became wife Peter, and  33 years later - his widow. The Sanitary instructor Vasily Peregudov in 1942 was killed under Stalingrad.

But then, in a youth, friends did not reflect about their destinies - they were friends, they worked and  studied. The love to art united them and filled their life. Meetings were appointed in Tretjakovskaja gallery - "near Vrubel", or at "Girls with peaches" of Serov. Or in "Gauguin's hall", "The portrait of an actress Samary" of Renoir - in those years Moscow had a Museum of new western art with an excellent exposition of impressionists.

Everything pleased, enriched, went for the future: concerts of Mariann Anderson gone on tour in Moscow, plays in the Moscow chamber theatre, performances of popular reader Vladimir Jahontov...

In 1937 Pjotr Valius for the first time has puzzled relatives: he has left Moscow, design office, has left to work at building area in far Tajikistan … Friends shrugged shoulders, and only Vasily Peregudov spoke the friend: "I envy your resoluteness, you will find out a life …" I shall tell at once: there was nothing to envy. Year (and what), lead on construction, far from the house, has appeared for Peter very heavy. The unusual life, unfamiliar customs of another nation, work in conditions of heat monstrous for a muscovite, a life infinitely far from art (the box with paints has returned to Moscow unpacked), and the main thing - the responsibility, that has laid down on shoulders of the young engineer, together with the authority, given to him above workers - people with the most fantastic life stories - it was difficult to carry it though, certainly, it gave a rich opportunity to find out a life and to overcome some, inherent in Peter, infantilism.

For the first time he has felt formidability of a native land and the responsibility of each person for everything  around him. Through all life he has carried  love and sympathy for people in mountain and hated  display of violence and chauvinism of any sense.

 He has reflected as never before that the person in the heaviest conditions should remain the person, to be merciful, to overcome fear and to keep dignity.

"The tadjik test for stability" as joking named this year the young engineer, has passed safely. Valius has returned to Moscow, to the young wife, and all has gone in an old fashion: work in design office, at leisure painting and dreams of the future when both Valiuses will become "free artists": he will paint pictures, and she write books. The son was born in 1939 , but it has not reduced their hopes. They were young and assured of the forces.

But unexpected has happened - war has begun. Pjotr Valius as the engineer-builder has been mobilized for construction of defensive boundaries. Some time worked in a wood, made fuel for Moscow. His family has been evacuated to Volga, in a place  firstly safe. Pjotr has moved to the parents remained in capital. Muscovites during that time starved, froze, in 1942  Pjotr's mother has died from malnutrition Vasily Peregudov was in a field army. His letter in 1942 from area near Stalingrad was the last …

In 1947 when the post-war life in Moscow  was stabilized more or less, spouses Valius have simultaneously left their services, having decided, that time to be " free artists " has come. The step was risky if to consider, that they had a child and to wait for the help  was from nobody . But the aspiration to art was stronger than mind, they were not the first, not the last. Some years they  skipt "from bread on water" (as starting artists  did however at various times and in the different countries), but purposefulness, unconditional endowments, mutual support and skill to live being content with small (in the material plan) -  all it has in aggregate enabled them to run in new professions. Step-by-step  Pjotr began to  design books and later to make illustrations  for books in the Moscow publishing houses, and stories of his wife broadcasted occasionally and even were printed sometimes in magazines.

Certainly, book the schedule, it was not of what Peter dreamed.

But it enabled to earn for a life and left time for painting. From time to time Pjotr attended different studios where drew, using models, a lot of time spent in museums and in the Kremlin of Moscow where ancient icons are stored...