Leonids Āriņš (1907.–1991.) is a classic of our painting, but he has always been a modernist as well. His interest in French painting (Matisse, Bonnard, Vlaminck) was lifelong. Today Āriņš’ works are in demand at the art market, but rarely offered. Was the artist recognized during his lifetime? He was a solitary man, a teacher of drawing in Tukums secondary school. The students who studied drawing with him, as a rule, came to love art. He used to take his students to the Tukums museum. This museum with its superb art collections was his cherished idea. He proved that one man can accomplish a lot even if circumstances are not favourable at all. His views of art were shared by Rūdolfs Pinnis, Boriss Bērziņš and some others, and he always found free time to visit them and talk about art. In Tukums the artist did not have companions, so he was writing diaries, where he admitted that “drawing for me is like a daily conversation”. And his drawings are superb. His whole world and feeling for life are all there. A large size drawing of his is entitled “My Small World”, where the artist himself is seen at the easel. The artist’s favourite motifs are his house with its surroundings, his studio, a view of the window as well as net huts, furrows and boat landings. All these can be seen at the exhibition “Leonids Āriņš – 105” in the Gallery “Daugava” where the artist’s watercolours and ink drawings are on display.