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.

A Sudanese man walks to a United Nations displacement camp after crossing into Tunisia from Libya on March 06, 2011 in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. As fighting continues in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, tens of thousands of guest workers from Egypt, Tunisia, Bangladesh and other countries are fleeing to the border of Tunisia to escape the violence. The situation has turned into a humanitarian emergency as fledgling Tunisia is overwhelmed with the workers. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has vowed to fight to the end. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images). RAS JDIR, TUNISIA – MARCH 06 2011

“The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin. The 1940 Games had been scheduled for Tokyo, and then Helsinki; the 1944 Games had been provisionally planned for London. This was the second occasion that London had hosted the Olympic Games, the city had previously been the venue in 1908”. – Wikipedia

Photo: The Olympic torch passes through Windsor on its way to Wembley, for the start of the Summer Olympics, 29th July 1948. (Photo by Ron Burton/Keystone/Getty Images)

The Anthem Veterans Memorial was created in Anthem, Arizona, in order to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the US soldiers that have lost their lives in order to bring peace and democracy to many nations throughout the world. Without these brave souls so many countries around the world would not be able to enjoy the fruits of Western Democracy. These pillars serve as a place of honor for military veterans, their friends and family, and to those people who want to pay their respect to the courageous men and women who continue to serve the United States. (Photo by Anthem Community Council)

See also: Karma by Do Ho Suh

For France, the trauma of the Algerian War (1954-1962) was not unlike the experience of the Vietnam War for the United States. But, unlike the conflict in Vietnam, few photographic documents exist from that period in Algeria: it is as if the French responded with collective amnesia. Marc Garanger’s Algerian Women is one of the few photographic essays dedicated to that painful period... Photo: A 1960 photograph of an Algerian woman in a French regroupment village. (Photo by Marc Garanger)

In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated November 19 as World Toilet Day, which is coordinated by UN-Water in collaboration with governments and partners. Here: An open-air toilet and a hot spring shower are seen in the middle of nowhere on the road to the Krafla geothermal power station and lava fields, near Reykjahlid and Lake Myvatn in northeastern Iceland, on August 19, 2012. (Photo by Mariana Suarez/AFP Photo)

A neighborhood watch volunteer stands guard on her street on February 9, 2017 in Peronia, Guatemala. Residents of Peronia, south of Guatemala City organized block by block to secure their community after ten of their neighbors in January were killed, they say, for refusing to pay extortion money to gangs. Armed with machetes and sticks, residents take turns each night, baring strangers' entry into their neighborhoods. Violence and poverty continue to drive emigration from Central America to the United States, even as the Trump administration moves to tighten border security. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)