Warrior monks of the Shaolin Temple display their Kung Fu skills at the Songshan Mountain near the temple April 12, 2005 in Dengfeng, Henan Province, China. Shaolin Temple, built in AD 495 in the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–581) and located in the Songshan Mountain area, is the birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu. (Photo by Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

An Indian worker crosses a street holding a shovel during monsoon rains in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

American singer Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe forgot some of her outfit for GQ's Men of the Year party in West Hollywood, California on November 17, 2022. (Photo by Sweet T./Instagram)

A person dressed as Santa Claus jumps into the sea during the Copa Nadal (Christmas Cup) swimming race in Barcelona, Spain on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Bruna Casas/Reuters)

American socialite and actress Karrueche Tran at Revolve Festival: The Eighth Annual Fashion, Music and Lifestyle Event on April 12, 2025 in Thermal, California. (Photo by Chad Salvador/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

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.

Indian ivory furniture legs in the shape of a goddess from the first century AD are displayed in the 'Afghanistan Crossroads of the Ancient World' exhibition at The British Museum on March 1, 2011 in London, England. Displaying treasures that were in great danger during the years of civil war and Taliban rule, these surviving artifacts reveal Afghanistan's ancient culture, its fragility and its remarkable place in world history. The exhibition opens to the public on March 3 and runs until July 3, 2011. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images). LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 01

A Filipino pet owner carries her dog as she prays before the animal blessing rites at the Our Lady of Remedies Parish Church in Malate district, Manila, Philippines on Sunday, October 5, 2014. Several Filipinos brought their pets to be blessed during the annual event which is also done to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)