I’m from St.Petersburg, Russia, where winters are gloomy-grey and cold. It can be cloudy for 2 or more months without even a single sunny day. In December, at noon it’s not light yet and at 3 pm it’s dark already. Also, apart from many other big cities, St. Petersburg’s central districts were planned by Italian architects and built as a royal city. A lot of streets have, in fact, two or even 4 rows of buildings, but only the first one is visible from the outside.

Apparently, the first row looked beautiful and rich and was made for wealthy landlords. Then through an arch in a wall, you get to another building, less prestigious than the first row; and through another arch to another one, and so on. The yards of the buildings remind the shape of rectangular wells, and one of those is depicted here.

Oil on Canvas, 2011

16×20 in

Oil on canvas, 24×36 in, unframed

Artist: Elena Nahum Leroy (Perelman)