The painting presented in the exhibition was created by St. Petersburg artist Alexander Viktorovich Sergeyev in 1987. It is based on the work of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, a native of Königsberg, a German romantic writer, storyteller, composer, artist and lawyer.

The streets in Sergeyev’s painting seem to merge the features of the real Königsberg and Hoffmann’s fairytale city. The literary genius and his famous characters met in the artwork. Ernst Hoffmann is seated among the buildings, leaning on his cane. Tomcat Murr sits in front of him on the snowy rooftops, looking into his master’s eyes.

The Nutcracker raises his saber victoriously, the defeated Mouse King lies nearby, with the scattered crowns at his feet. The exposed Little Zaches hastens to hide in an alleyway. The sinister Coppelius peeks out from behind the roofs. Drosselmeyer crosses the street with a trunk under his armpit; with his hat off, he waves his hand.

Alexander Sergeyev literally saturated the painting with a large number of symbolic and allegorical images that refer to the life and work of the German writer. Among the fanciful old buildings one can identify the Royal Castle and churches of Königsberg. Various elements of the composition are complemented by relevant quotations from the works of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann.

The painting is executed in oil on canvas. The figure of the huge cat on the roof incorporates two images, as in Hoffman’s work: real and fictional. One of them is the most important character Tomcat Murr, symbolizing the writer, the other is the author’s own cat, which he valued greatly, considering it “sage and profound”.

The proportions in the painting can be confusing, but they also contain a special symbolism, as does the storyteller’s every work. Hoffmann’s disproportionately large figure emphasizes the role of the artist and shows the writer’s relationship with the illusory world he created. The artist did not see gloominess in fairy tales, but light and magic, which he tried to convey in his painting.

The artist’s signature can be seen on the right. Alexander Sergeyev was born in Leningrad in 1948. He is a graduate of the Moscow Polygraphic Institute and became best known as a book graphic artist and cartoonist. Alexander Sergeyev has designed and illustrated more than 700 books and albums.