Bronn, a Dutch shepherd, launches 22 feet, 6 inches, during the Dock Dogs Outdoor Big Air for the GoPro Mountain Games, Thursday, June 9, 2022, at Lionshead Village in Vail, Colo. The big air is always a crowd favorite as dogs can fly nearly 30 feet in distance through the air. (Photo by Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily via AP Photo)

People dressed in costumes have a break while marching during the Vijanera Festival, in the small village of Silio, northern Spain, Sunday, January 3, 2016. The Vijanera masquerade, of pre-Roman origin, is the first carnival of the year in Europe symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and involving the participation of crowds of residents wearing different masks, animal skins and brightly coloured clothing with its own complex function and symbolism and becoming the living example of the survival of archaic cults to nature. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AP Photo)

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

“Eclipse is a luxury motor yacht constructed by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, Germany. Its exterior and interior were designed by Terence Disdale Design and its naval architect was Francis Design. The yacht was delivered to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich on 9 December 2010”. – Wikipedia

Photo: The Eclipse, reported to be the largest private yacht in the world, is viewed docked at a pier in New York on February 19, 2013 in New York City. The boat, which measures 557ft in length and is estimated to cost 1.5 billion US dollars, is owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich and arrived into New York on Wednesday. (Photo by Spencer Platt)

A woman with a Japanese style full back body tattoo at the 12th London International Tattoo Convention, which opened today in Tobacco Dock, east London on September 23, 2016. The show features over 400 of the world's finest, most prestigious and elite tattoo artists as well as a showcasing alternative culture in the form of piercing, burlesque and the Miss Pin Up UK competition. Around 20,000 people will attend over the weekend. (Photo by Michael Preston/Alamy Live News)

Ivanelis Jimenez, front, and Veronica Barreto pose for the camera wearing Puerto Rican flag dresses as they welcome passengers exiting Carnival's Mardi Gras cruise ship, docked in the bay of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, August 3, 2021, marking the first time a cruise ship visits the U.S. territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Photo by Carlos Giusti/AP Photo)

Fire rises from an oil tank in the port of Es Sider, in Ras Lanuf, Libya January 4, 2016. Firefighters have extinguished two fires at oil storage tanks at Libya's Ras Lanuf terminal, but blazes continue at five tanks in the nearby port of Es Sider after attacks this week by Islamic State militants, a Petroleum Facilities Guards (PFG) spokesman said on Thursday. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

An athlete dressed as a clown jumps into the Mediterranean sea as he takes part in the Copa Nadal in the Spanish port of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, December 25, 2016. The Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup) is a traditional swimming competition that takes place in Barcelona every December 25th, where participants swim 200 meters in the open sea in the port of Barcelona. (Photo by Manu Fernandez/AP Photo)