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.

Heavy equipment works along the still under construction Bamiyan-Yakawlang road June 10, 2011 in Yakawlang, Afghanistan. The 69 Million US$ project is supported by the Government of Japan and World Bank. The 90K road project was started three years ago and is slated to be finished within another year. This new road means faster travel from Bamiyan to Afghanistan's only national park, Band-e-Amir. This is in of the safest parts of the country and the hope is to expand tourism in the region. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

A man takes a picture of part of what is set to be the UK's largest street art project on August 19, 2011 in Bristol, England. The See No Evil art project on Nelson Street in Bristol will see several multi story buildings in the street covered with art over the coming days. Organisers hope that the project, which has involved top graffiti artists from all over the world, will become a major tourist attraction for the west country city, often said to the spiritual home of Banksy. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

CANNES, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 03: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leaves the conference centre after the first day of the G20 Summit on November 3, 2011 in Cannes, France. World's top economic leaders are attending the G20 summit in Cannes on November 3rd and 4th, and are expected to debate current issues surrounding the global financial system in the hope of fending off a global recession and finding an answer to the Eurozone crisis. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Yuan Zi, a male giant panda and Huan Huan, a female giant panda, share their life inside their enclosure at Zoo Parc De Beauval on January 25, 2012 in Beauval, France. A pair of giant pandas which have been loaned to the zoo by China, where they hope the pair will reproduce and help boost the world's dwindling panda population. (Photo by Franck Prevel/Getty Images)

Ukranian artists Anya Stasenko and Slava Leontyev collaborate to create delightfully quirky and unbelievably detailed miniature porcelain sculptures. Their website offers different views of many of the pieces so that you can see the elaborate paintings on these tiny pieces. I couldn’t stop smiling, always a good sign.

Manhattan's most fashionable felines dressed their best to help Matilda, the famous Algonquin Hotel cat, celebrate her 15th birthday on Aug. 11, 2010. The party was held in the hotel's lobby and centered around a good ol' fashioned cat fashion show. (Photo by Katie Sokoler/Gothamist.com)

Detail of a sand sculpture of Pirates of the Caribbean is seen as pieces are prepared as part of this year's Hollywood themed annual Weston-super-Mare Sand Sculpture festival on March 26, 2013 in Weston-Super-Mare, England. Due to open on Good Friday, currently twenty award winning sand sculptors from across the globe are working to create sand sculptures including Harry Potter, Marilyn Monroe and characters from the Star Wars films as part of the town's very own movie themed festival on the beach. (Photo by Matt Cardy)