Kolokolny Zvon (The Voice of the Bells) Zhanna Bichevskaya

Zhanna Bichevskaya sings one of the contemporary Orthodox spiritual songs of Hieromonk Roman. The backdrop is a photomontage focusing on the life of All-Merciful Saviour Monastery on Vashon Island in Washington in the Pacific Northwest US.

One can see that we have kept the traditions of the rodina alive, and that the pictures could have been taken at any given monastery in the homeland. Our monasteries are an important part of the life of Orthodox Christians. We faithful often go on otpust to monasteries (although I have never been to this particular house) and they are a source of great spiritual vitality to us.

To the brotherhood of All-Merciful Saviour Monastery, many years! na mnogaya lyeta! Their website (well worth a visit) is: http://vashonmonks.com/index.php

Mikhail Nesterov. The Thinker: A Portrait of Ivan Ilyin. 1922

The Thinker: A Portrait of Ivan Ilyin (Mikhail Nesterov, 1922)

A portrait of the great 20th Russian religious philosopher, Ivan Ilyin. I have posted an article regarding him on Voices from Russia, and the URL is:

http://02varvara.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/ivan-ilyin-an-exceptional-twentieth-century-religious-philosopher/

Meet the Artist: Valery Fedotov

Valery Fedotov was born in Moscow in 1964. He graduated from Art College in 1982 and from the all-Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in 1996. In his creative work, Valery Fedotov follows the best traditions of the classical school of painting of the old masters. Since 1996, he has taken part in many different exhibitions. His paintings are in private collections in Russia, Germany, France, Holland, Japan, Portugal, the USA, and Canada.

Russian Paintings Gallery

http://www.russianpaintings.net/artist.vphp?author=96

Valery Fedotov. Portrait of a Woman. 2006

Portrait of a Woman (Valery Fedotov, 2006)