The Green Dog

When I first saw the works by Zhoy Chunya, I immediately remembered one particular story.
Perhaps this is a legend that appeared in the Soviet Union at the time of the strict censorship in all printed materials of the nation. Very often, it was the editor who carried out the role of the censor. And, very often, it was the editor’s personal attitude towards the author that determined whether the book would and the illustrations to it would be approved. In one of the most prominent Soviet publishing companies, there was an editor that everybody was afraid of. There was also an illustrator, who often had to submit his projects to her. This illustrator would always draw a green dog; he would put one in each work, regardless of the subject of the book he was illustrating. Whenever the editor would find yet another green dog on the illustration, she would become irate. They would start arguing over it, and the arguments would continue for extended periods of time. Finally, each time, the illustrator would give in, and, reluctantly, he would remove the green dog from the project. This routine went on many times.

When this illustrator was asked why he keeps on drawing the green dog, he explained that it was his scheme. The editor would become so exhausted by his insistence to include the dog that she would have no strength left to continue the discussion in order to find anything anti-government in the illustrations. 

The green dog is the symbol of what shouldn’t be.

Today, I would like to offer you a series of photos, which are united by the subject of “the person and the dog”. There are no green dogs present among them, but each dog has a specific personality and mood.