January 14, 2022

The Art of the Fall


The Art of the Fall
St. Petersburg needs some of these signs. Wikimedia Commons user Lu Brito.

St. Petersburg artist Ruben Monakhov (born 1970) has become famous for painting one very specific subject: people falling on ice.

After spinal surgery following a major fall, the handlebar-mustachioed Monakhov was very afraid of slipping on St. Petersburg's ridiculously icy sidewalks. He found comfort in taking pictures of real Pitertsy who fell in front of him and then painting them at home.

Monakhov is aware that taking pictures of strangers who had just fallen must have looked bad.

In St. Petersburg in winter, it is typical to see people falling or almost falling on the ice every day. Only some prominent sidewalks are cleared of snow, and after a few snowfalls followed by temperatures fluctuating above and below freezing, many sidewalks have uneven rolling hills of ice. Older residents are basically homebound for the duration of winter.

One hospital saw 40-47 trippers daily toward the end of 2021.

At a quick glance, Monakhov's paintings may appear to be of ice skaters taking a spill. But they are just regular city residents walking in shoes.

St. Petersburg mayor Alexander Beglov was recently called out for his inattention to the streets, with a video from Africa urging him to move there, where the streets do not have to be cleaned of snow.

In addition, whenever the thermometer creeps slightly above 0° Celsius (32° Fahrenheit; freezing), walkers in the center of St. Petersburg must watch their heads lest falling blocks of ice land on them.

Whether it comes from above their heads or below their feet, the snow and ice of St. Petersburg are a real threat to Pitertsy.

Monakhov painted the series of 10 oil paintings called "Oops" as a way of dealing with his fear of walking but also to draw attention to an issue that affects the daily lives of virtually all Pitertsy for a good portion of the year. City officials have yet to respond to the falling art, however.

Check out Monakhov's work on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Erarta Museum in St. Petersburg, and his own website.

You Might Also Like

Bunkers, Beglov, and Bad Weather
  • December 23, 2021

Bunkers, Beglov, and Bad Weather

In this week's Odder News, next year will be better, St. Petersburg's mayor should move to Africa, and bunkers are hip.
Magic in St. Petersburg
  • December 14, 2021

Magic in St. Petersburg

King's Cross station has nothing on the city of St. Petersburg, which is now complete with its own Platform 9 3/4, too. 
The Kingdom of Eternal Permafrost
  • January 25, 2021

The Kingdom of Eternal Permafrost

With abnormally cold weather in Yakutsk, Russian TV news channels have been promoting the city's Kingdom of Permafrost and annual ice sculpture competition.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955