The Magic of the Russian North by Artist Yuri Vasendin

The Magic of the Russian North: The Art of Yuri Vasendin. Yuri Dmitrievich Vasendin was born on March 18, 1958, in Arkhangelsk. He graduated from the Arkhangelsk Art School in 1975. After completing his studies, he worked as an artist at the House of Culture in the settlement of Maimaksa. Drawing upon the canons of the Russian realist school of the *Peredvizhniki* (Wanderers), the artist gradually transitioned from depicting the austere, secluded nature of the North to creating "mood landscapes." By the 1990s, his work was in demand among art connoisseurs in Russia and abroad. His annual trips to Finland earned him a wide following in both Scandinavia and Western Europe. His repertoire expanded to include themes from ancient Russian epic tales as well as seascapes.