The common feeling of "the lost paradise" - often very strong in the naive art - strains the feeling of personal insecurity of the artist. As result a figure of a hero-defender frequently appears on the canvases. In traditional mythology hero embodies the victory of the harmony over the Chaos.
   In the works of contemporary naive artists the images of the winners, well-known from lubok pictures - Iliya Muromets and Anika-the-warrior, Suvorov and General Ermolov, who conquered the Caucasus - all acquire the features of Chapaev, the hero of the Civil war, and Marshal Zhukov. They are all different interpretations of the same image of the dragon-fighter, which is ever-present somewhere deep in the human genetic memory and comes up in the iconography of St.George fighting the Dragon.
   Another type of a hero - hero-demiurge or creator - is in some way a contrasting figure to the warrior-defender. In this case it is the inner tension of will and spirit that is highlighted by the artist, not the outer action. The role of the demiurge could be played by some mythological hero like Bacchus, who had taught the men to make wine (A.Fomichev's picture) or it could be taken by some historical figure - Ivan the Terrible, Peter I or Lenin, who symbolises the idea of the monarch, a founder of the state or, using the language of mythology, forefather.
   But the most beloved hero of the naive art is the poet. Compositional formula used to create this image is often the same: a sitting figure with a sheet of paper and a pen or a book of poetry in his hands. This universal scheme became a sign of poetical inspiration while the frock coat, the loose cloak with cap or hussar's pelisse serve as "historical" details adding to the impression of the historical truth of the image. His poetic heroes always surround the poet; he is depicted in the environment created by himself in his poetic world. This image is close to the naive artists because they always watch themselves in their own created world nearby their heroes, every time felling the inspiration of the creator.