A woman holds a cutout of President Donald Trump's face at a rally in Washington in support of Trump called the “Save America Rally” on January 6, 2021. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Bluey ballon flies as Spirit of America cheerleaders paricipate in the 96th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 24, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

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 hunter holds a shot female pheasant next to his dog “Lola”, a Deutsch female Kurzhaar, during the first day of the Italy hunting season in Castell'Azzara, Tuscany, central Italy, September 20, 2015. The number of hunters in Italy has been decreasing, from 1,701,853 in 1980 to 751.876 in 2007, with a percentage reduction of 55.8%, according to the latest available numbers from the national statistics bureau ISTAT. (Photo by Max Rossi/Reuters)

American gymnast Nia Dennis attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by John Shearer/WireImage)

Actress Anya Taylor-Joy is seen outside “Good Morning America” on February 17, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)

Common squirrel monkeys observe their Christmas present, a box full of mealworms, at the South America enclosure of the Budapest Zoo, in Budapest, Hungary, 24 December 2017. (Photo by Photo by Attila Kovacs/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American actress America Ferrera poses for a photo on the red carpet at the 96th Annual Oscars held at Ovation Hollywood on March 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)