The fairytale world of Hans Christian Andersen is the subject of an enchanting new exhibition at the Anna Akhmatova Museum in St Petersburg.
The exhibition displays the work of 13 Russian and Danish artists -- painters, graphic artists and illustrators.
The visitor is immediately drawn to the work of Vadim Brodsky, which reflects the child's inner world through its directness and spontaneity. Two other artists, brothers Alexander and Valerie Trigot, use bright colors and strong visual images in their work, which penetrates deeply into the world of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales.
There are some remarkable and elegant gouache and oil paintings by the well known Moscow artists Nikki Goltz and Svetlana Vedernikova. These captivating pictures were heavily influenced by the artists' recent travels in Denmark, and their impressions are reflected on canvas in a series of works called "An hour before evening in a quiet place," which are reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh in their bold expressiveness.
The bright graphics of Olga Pen, seen in her "Garden Flowers," do not seem to bear a direct relationship to Andersen's works, but capture the essence of childhood.
The paintings of Galina Yakimova, which were recently shown in an exhibition alongside three Danish artists, clearly demonstrate a transitional link from the world of Andersen's subjective art to contemporary Avant Garde.
The snowstorms and icy whirlwinds of Greenland, kingdom of the mythical Snow King, form the basis of a number of works in a variety of styles and mediums by the Norwegian artist Anna-Mette Neuland.
She finds Andersen's themes of evil struggling against good are worthwhile lessons for any child, no matter what country he lives in.
Grown-ups can also draw from these tales to keep their inner child alive, threatened by our cynical world.
The fairytale world of Andersen's prose has influenced several pastels by Karina Berergard, while the exhibition also features bright and colorful ceramics by Petersburg artist Marianna Bozynova, who drew her inspiration from Andersen's tales, which she read to her own children.
A collection of dolls by Anna Zabreba is enchanting. This artist actually works in a library and makes dolls in her free time but has had them featured in several exhibitions.
"Dolls are little people and they come from childhood. First I made them out of paper and straw and then from material. Through Anderson's fairy tales I have given them life and personality."
The exhibition does not try to directly illustrate the great Danish storyteller's works. Rather, they draw ideas from him and are influenced by them.
Children enjoyed Andersen's fairytales during the Soviet era of Russia's history, but it was only when the restrictions and state taboos of communism fell away that they could be placed in their actual context.
Countries which were closed to Russians were seen through the eyes of their authors that were not banned in Russia.
Thus England was seen through the eyes of Charles Dickens and Golsworthy, while Denmark was seen as the land of fairytales, something which Russians, with their own rich tradition of fairytales, or skazky, could relate to.
The exhibition "Andersen's World" does more than simply plunge us once again into his world of fantasy, which is universally known.
It shows that the Danish character is not so far removed from the Russian character in its fables and tales, which often have just as much significance for adults as they do for children.