Anna Karenina and Pushkin's Fairy Tales

At the center of the painting stands Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin himself alongside the Sun – for as all know, Pushkin is the Sun of Russian literature and poetry, our Everything!

To Pushkins left – the Russian spirit.

To the great poets right – Anna Karenina in the guise of the Shamakhan Tsarina.

Above them – the Golden Cockerel. The far right edge features Ruslan and Lyudmila. And as socially significant commentary: «Cross the road only at designated crossings!»– an additional meaningful layer to the work.

Just below Anna, Lukomorye comes alive: the cat, oak tree, chain, casket, and all other requisite elements from Pushkins tales.

Upper left corner:

– The Golden Fish
– «The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda»

Lower left section:

– The Swan Princess
– The Thirty-Three Warriors
– A mermaid
– The squirrel cracking golden nuts
– Tsar Saltan

Lower right corner:

Prophetic Oleg with his serpent and horse skulls (we must give him a chance – not all skulls come with serpents)

Notably: The paintings base features another luminary of Russian literature – the great writer Leo Tolstoy. He appears rather unsettled by the surrounding spectacle.

From the series Dasha Weisbrem: Rereading Russian Classics