The Comedy, Parody, and Tragedy
Rodel Tapaya
This 2018 painting layers crowded shanties, billboards, and tangled walkways with mythic creatures from Philippine folklore. Human figures mingle with spirits and masked characters, blurring everyday life with the supernatural. Bright colors and abrupt shifts in scale evoke noise, congestion, and spectacle. Tapaya unfolds contemporary urban experience as a chaotic folk tale, where comedy, parody, and tragedy coexist in a single scene.
The Council of the Gods
Giovanni Lanfranco
Lanfranco’s grand ceiling fresco (1624–25) fills the Sala della Loggia with divine spectacle. Jupiter reigns at the center, surrounded by Roman deities including Venus, Mars, Pluto, and Juno. Designed to dissolve architectural limits, the illusionistic sky transforms the ceiling into a heavenly theater of Baroque power and myth.
Madonna and Child with St Anne (Madonna dei Palafrenieri)
Caravaggio
This bold altarpiece (1605–06) shows the Virgin Mary guiding the Christ Child as he crushes a serpent—symbol of original sin. St Anne watches solemnly, evoking generational grace. Caravaggio’s realism and chiaroscuro infuse the holy scene with human emotion, provoking awe and controversy upon its brief display in St Peter’s.
The Cathedral
Auguste Rodin
This 1908 sculpture features two right hands reaching towards each other, symbolizing connection and unity. Initially named The Arch of Alliance, it was inspired by Gothic cathedral rib vaults and renamed in 1914. The texture and interplay of light and shadow evoke prayer and contemplation. This work marks Rodin’s shift from realism to modernism, emphasizing emotional depth over physical form.
Saint Anthony the Hermit
Jan Brueghel
This tranquil painting (early 17th c.) shows Saint Anthony seated at the mouth of a cave, gazing contemplatively toward the city and sea. The vivid flora and distant harbor contrast with his solitude, symbolizing the tension between worldly life and spiritual retreat. A vision of a sacred altar within the cave suggests divine presence in the midst of earthly temptation.
Homage to Vivaldi
Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar
This sculptural relief in painted wood (1963) reflects Villamizar’s fusion of geometric abstraction and musical rhythm. Vertical repetition and modulated forms evoke the structured elegance of Vivaldi’s compositions, transforming sound into visual cadence. It belongs to the museum’s permanent collection.
A Soft Watch to Cause a Young Ephebe to Die
Salvador Dalí
Dalí’s 1971 painting explores surrealist themes of time and mortality. A lifeless youth draped in a melting clock symbolizes the decay of ideal beauty. Hovering figures and a burning sky enhance the dreamlike tragedy, reflecting Dalí’s interest in the collapse of classical ideals. The work underscores his preoccupation with the relentless passage of time and its impact on human existence.
The Risen Christ
Michelangelo
Michelangelo's The Risen Christ (1521) depicts the resurrected Christ holding a cross, symbolizing triumph over death. This marble statue embodies Renaissance humanism, blending classical beauty with spiritual dignity. The idealized nude form reflects the fusion of divine suffering and victory, showcasing Michelangelo's mastery in capturing both physical perfection and profound spiritual themes.
The Earth
Einar Jónsson
Jónsson’s bronze sculpture, The Earth (1904–1908), features a seated figure cradling a smaller form, reflecting his shift to Symbolism after 1903. It explores themes of life, death, and the cyclical nature of existence. Jónsson, a pioneering Icelandic sculptor, studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, significantly influencing the evolution of Icelandic art.
Perspective Gallery
Francesco Borromini
Created for Cardinal Spada, this architectural illusion (1653) compresses nine meters into an illusion of great depth. By subtly reducing the size of columns, floor tiles, and ceiling coffers, Borromini crafted a vanishing point that evokes grandeur. The statue at the end, appearing monumental, is just 90 cm tall—transforming scale into metaphysical reflection.
Dionysian Procession
Raphael
In this scene (1518), Raphael depicts Bacchus (Dionysus) leading a joyful procession of Maenads, Satyrs toward Cupid and Psyche’s wedding. The central Maenad, in ecstasy, embodies the Dionysian cult of revelry, blending divine intoxication with theatrical festivity.
Apollo
Phidias
This ivory mask (5th c. BC) represents Apollo-Greek god of light, music, and prophecy-and once belonged to a chryselephantine statue (a prestigious cult image of ivory and gold). Attributed to Phidias, the master sculptor of classical Greece, it is an exceptionally rare survival of this luxury art form. Looted in 1995 and recovered in 2003, it now serves as both a rare survival of luxury cult sculpture and a reminder of ongoing threats to archaeological heritage.
Head of a Youth
Michelangelo
This charcoal head of a youth (1511–12) fills a shallow lunette, the face turned sharply upward and modeled with dense, sculptural shading. Created while Michelangelo worked at Villa Farnesina, it is understood as a visual homage to Raphael’s work in the same setting. The fusion of muscular anatomy with a calm, idealized profile demonstrates how Michelangelo engaged directly with Raphael’s Renaissance style.
El pueblo en lucha
Ramón Oviedo
This mural (2013) shows a bound, faceless figure hurling itself toward the dark mouths of cannons, while ghostly soldiers and crowds emerge in the background. The scene recalls the Dominican struggle against dictatorship and foreign intervention in the 20th c. By fusing a single straining body with collective, blurred forms, Oviedo concentrates individual sacrifice into a broader history of resistance.
The Courtyard of the Wind Palace
Salvador Dalí
Dalí’s surreal installation (1970s) features golden female mannequins resembling votive icons in windows surrounding a central bronze figure of Venus crowned with a ship. This work merges classical motifs with theatrical elements, creating a fantastical vision of fertility, mythology, and voyeurism, showcasing Dalí’s unique blend of art and architecture.
“When the path is beautiful, do not ask where it leads.” — Zen proverb
Welcome to my travel photography!
“When the path is beautiful, do not ask where it leads.” — Zen proverb
Welcome to my travel photography!
For as long as I can remember, my path has been one of discovery—seeking beauty, timelessness, and connection in every corner of the world. It has also been a journey of deep learning and understanding. I’ve been an avid traveler (or perhaps a travel addict?) for most of my life. My love for travel began long before I ever left home: as a child, I drew a fantasy map of my grandparents’ apartment and “traveled” through it with my cousin Sonya, imagining adventures in every corner. Nearly 90 countries and countless moments of awe later, I’m excited to share this journey with you.
Thanks to the tireless and ingenious programming of Diagilev, we’re now able to present about fifteen percent of the images I’ve accumulated over the years. More will be released in small batches depending on your interest. While the first release leans toward museum photography, later ones will include more nature, architecture, culture, and general travel experiences. If you’d like to receive email notifications about new releases, feel free to reach out—no commercial use, ever.
Throughout my travels, I’ve been drawn to two intertwined kinds of discovery. One is intellectual: learning why the world is the way it is. History became my guide, shaping my perspective and filling my camera roll with museums and old buildings. To me, history is not the past—it is the key to understanding the present and how the world became what it is. The other is emotional: seeking moments of elevation—spirituality, beauty, harmony—often found in nature, monasteries, and ancient sacred spaces. Together, these impulses shape my photography. It invites you to learn, admire, and soar—to rise above the mundane and see the world through a lens of curiosity and wonder.
Much of my later travel became possible thanks to my job with Delta Air Lines, but the wanderlust began years earlier. By the time I joined the industry, I had already visited over 35 countries and lived in several—largely thanks to a backpacking journey around the world with Luis León, whose face appears in many early photos. I grew up in Ufa in the USSR, and since leaving it I have lived, studied, and worked in Latvia, the United States, France, South Korea, Canada, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Japan, and Colombia.
A life of near-constant movement may seem a little crazy, but it has deepened my understanding of the world and produced the photography you are about to see. Over the years, my style has evolved—more intentional, more refined—yet its core remains the same: a search for understanding, timeless beauty, and a connection to those who walked this earth long before us.
I hope these photos stir something in your soul, just as they did in mine. I’d love to hear from you—whether reactions, suggestions, corrections, or a request to be added to the email list for new releases (no commercial use, I promise). You can learn more about my travels here, and my academic life here.
Enjoy our shared journey!