David
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
This electrifying sculpture (1623–24) captures David mid-swing as he prepares to strike Goliath. Commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, it breaks from static Renaissance models by freezing a moment of intense motion and psychological resolve. Bernini’s vivid realism and spiraling pose typify the Baroque celebration of drama and energy.
Portrait of a Musician
Leonardo da Vinci
This intimate oil on panel (c. 1485) is Leonardo da Vinci’s only known male portrait. Likely depicting a court musician in Milan, the sitter clutches a sheet of music, suggesting both profession and intellect. The unfinished lower section contrasts with the intense gaze, highlighting Leonardo’s interest in capturing psychological presence over ornamental finish.
Bochica Teaching the Muisca
Luis Alberto Acuña
This 1960-70s mural depicts Bochica, the bearded sage and civilizing hero of Muisca mythology, imparting moral and spiritual lessons. Seated before young disciples, he holds symbols of power and knowledge, including a woven banner. A revered figure, Bochica was believed to have formed the Tequendama Falls and taught the Muisca how to live harmoniously.
Mona Lisa, Age Twelve
Fernando Botero
In this whimsical reimagining (1959), Botero transforms da Vinci’s iconic subject into a voluminous child. Created in his signature Boterismo style, the painting blends parody with homage. Born from a cleaning lady’s remark, the work helped launch Botero’s career, celebrating exaggerated form as a tool for both humor and artistic identity.
The Devil Showing Christ the Delights of the World
Álvaro Barrios
In this pop-infused lithograph (1996), Barrios reimagines Christ’s temptation with dazzling surrealism. A winged devil offers worldly pleasures—luxury, sex, and consumer goods—while Christ holds a lifebuoy, a symbol of spiritual rescue. Blending biblical narrative with pop culture, the work critiques material excess and invites reflection on salvation in an age of spectacle.
Fame and Medusa's Victims
Baldassarre Peruzzi
This fresco (1511) shows Fame soaring through the sky, announcing glory with her trumpet. Below, three men and a horse emerge from the clouds, their pallor and stiffness indicating they are victims turned to stone by Medusa's gaze. The composition reflects Renaissance interest in mythology, illustrating the power of reputation and the consequences of divine encounters.
Isabel de Santiago
Archangel Gabriel
This early 18th-c. work by Isabel de Santiago—a rare female artist of the Quito School—portrays Gabriel as a celestial messenger of abundance. Draped in luminous textiles, the archangel holds a cornucopia, blending classical fertility symbols with baroque angelology in a uniquely Andean devotional image.
Tuttomondo
Keith Haring
This section of Tuttomondo (1989) showcases Keith Haring’s vibrant visual language with simplified human forms, radiant lines, and vivid colors in rhythmic harmony. The mural, painted in Pisa, celebrates peace and collective action, with each figure symbolizing a social or spiritual force working toward global unity. Haring’s work demonstrates the power of art to convey universal themes of cooperation and harmony.
Venus and Capricorn
Baldassarre Peruzzi
The painting (c.1511) in the Loggia of Galatea depicts Venus, the goddess of love, on a shell surrounded by doves, symbols of love. Beside her, Capricorn, a hybrid creature, represents astrological wisdom. This artwork merges mythological beauty with cosmic symbolism, reflecting the Renaissance fascination with harmony between earthly and celestial realms. The inclusion of Capricorn underscores the era's belief in astrology's influence on human affairs.
David with the Head of Goliath
Caravaggio
This haunting composition (1609–10) shows David holding Goliath’s severed head—modeled on Caravaggio himself. Rather than triumph, the mood is remorseful. The intense chiaroscuro, psychological realism, and moral ambiguity turn this biblical victory into a meditation on guilt, mortality, and inner torment.
The Appearance of Christ to the Disciples
Master of Cabestany
This 12th-c. Romanesque sculpture by the Master of Cabestany depicts Christ revealing himself to his disciples after the resurrection. The artist is known for figures with large heads, flat foreheads, long noses, and almond-shaped eyes. Likely from the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, the work exemplifies the Master of Cabestany’s influence across Southern Europe, from Tuscany to Navarre.
Silenced by Pain
Ángel Haché
This mixed-media work (2014) uses corrugated cardboard to depict three anguished nude figures pierced through the head by jagged red waves, symbols of auditory torture or psychological trauma. Their tense bodies and gestures of covering their ears suggest helplessness before systemic violence. The scene recalls the enforced silence and invisible suffering experienced under Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic.
Cain and Abel
Tintoretto
The scene (1550–53) shows the biblical story of Cain’s jealousy and the murder of his brother Abel. The work reflects the Mannerist style through sharp contrasts of light and shadow, twisting poses, and tense, compressed space. Tintoretto’s hallmark energy appears in the sweeping gestures and urgent brushwork that heighten the scene’s violence, underscoring the enduring power of biblical themes in Renaissance art.
Christ in Glory (detail)
Raphael
The radiant figure of the risen Christ (1508–10) crowns the celestial register of The Disputation of the Sacrament. His raised hand and visible wounds recall both his Passion and his role as judge at the end of time. Encircled by golden rays, he visually affirms the doctrine of the Eucharist as the enduring, real presence of Christ.
Pietà
Michelangelo
This marble sculpture (1498–99) shows the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ after the Crucifixion. Carved by Michelangelo at age twenty-four, it unites idealized form and anatomical accuracy with restrained pathos. Commissioned for St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pietà exemplifies High Renaissance harmony between human beauty and divine suffering.
“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!