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.

“Residents in a small town littered with giant potholes may be ready to “crack” the art world – after turning their massively damaged roads into hilarious masterpieces. Fun-natured drivers from Scranton, Pennsylvania have been challenged by an arts group to turn the ugly craters in their neighborhood into pothole art”. – Caters News. Photo: Cereal bowl pothole. (Photo by Caters News)

Alexa Grasso, left, is hit by Valentina Shevchenko during a UFC 285 mixed martial arts flyweight title bout Saturday, March 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Photo by David Becker/AP Photo)

A visitor passes behind the sculpture “Puma-Dentist” made with plastic, wax and original heads of a puma and a hind by Austrian artist Deborah Sengl during an exhibition at the art gallery Deschler in Berlin April 15, 2008. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Two sculputures at the waterfront in Marseille – Ever feel like youve forgotten something? No its not a mind trick – these are the amazing photos of sculptures done by a French artist. The sculptures are the work of Bruno Catalano and might look like theyre missing vital organs but the invisible bodies represent a world citizen according to their creator. (Photo by Caters News Agency)

A gallery staff member walks past Fleeting Monument (1985) by artist Cornelia Parker, one of the works on display at Yorkshire Sculpture Parks Longside Gallery as part of the “Making It: Sculpture in Britain 1977-1986” exhibition on March 27, 2015 in Barnsley, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) in front of a caricature of his profile at a press reception in London for his new film “Frenzy”. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images). 24th May 1972