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Dostoevsky’s White Nights (Beliye Nochi) in Sankt Petersburg,
acrylic on canvas, 2022
Dostoevsky spent much of his life in St. Petersburg, which became the backdrop to his many novels. Like in his books so also in this painting, Dosto- evsky’s characters inhabit the streets of St. Petersburg and come to life. Here one can rec- ognize the house of Raskol- nikov and Sonya Marmeladova. In the “White Nights,” he con- veys the experience of his hero, who walks in the streets of St. Petersburg during the so-called “White Nights.” He loves the city at night and feels comfortable in it. He drew his emotions from people: if they were content, he was content; if they were disheartened, he was discouraged. As he walked, the houses would talk to him and tell him how they were being renovated, painted a new color, or torn down.
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