he describes his time at the academy as a wonderfully self-contained existence, relatively isolated from the soviet system. at the end of his second year, he participated in the obligatory painting summer in the crimea, a summer that had little effect on his painting style but was a turning point in his personal life. zaborov met a girl from moscow and that autumn he entered the surikov art institute in moscow. he earned its diploma in 1961. the atmosphere in moscow was radically different, much more engaged with the outside world. when he left, he moved back to minsk and began to illustrate books to earn money. he found it increasingly difficult to paint according to a personal vision that fell outside of the soviet government's approved style.