I remember when Ricky Grove first introduced me to the work of Russian animator Yuriy Norshteyn, and it was by way of this clip from “Winter Days.” Impressive at the time was the exquisite soundscape, but we were also really taken with the “dirty” look to the wind and leaves, and the unique-looking characters. That unmistakably hand-crafted feel creates an extraordinary effect.

My wife, who speaks Russian fluently, was the first to really peak my interest in Russian language, folklore, and culture. (Yes, I’m aware “Winter Days” isn’t a Russian film.) She knew who Norshteyn was right away, and recognized a few of his short films as things she had seen on television in the USSR as a child.

Nearly all machinimators know the “hideaway” experience that can come when really focusing on a film’s production, when food and sleep and social interaction lose their normal priority and all that matters are those frames per second. Norshteyn appears to do that to degrees that pale my own experiences, and his methods are so raw, so hands-on-the-film. It absolutely fascinates me, his passion… nay, obsession. Watching the fascinating documentary on YouTube about his work (Part 1, Part 2), seeing this old man with the spirit of a young boy, surrounded by his rustic equipment, poring over every detail… it fills me with envy, that distinctly “monastic” approach that modern life makes such an impossibility for all but the fanatics among us… the true artists.

Take this example, this masterpiece called “Hedgehog in the Fog.” On the surface, a children’s folk tale. A closer inspection, at least for me, reveals a fascinating allegory of a philosophical journey, a hunt for truth. Think Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. I won’t get into the minutiae of the symbolism as it struck me, but let this tale wash over you and see if it doesn’t awaken the same thinking in you. It’ll probably require a rewatch to have it move you in that way, if you’re like me… the first viewing, I was too busy being blown away by the beauty.

NOTE: If you search on YouTube, you can find a version of this with English subtitles, but I’d encourage you to try it first without; for me, the subs are much more distracting than not understanding all of the narration. I think you’ll be surprised how well the story comes through without on-screen text.

Oh to find this kind of depth in my own work some day, where characters are not just characters but resonators of ideas, or are ideas themselves. Dostoevsky was masterful at this craft, as was Russian emigree Ayn Rand, my fondness for whom I’m sure I’ve made clear before. It is by no means a trait unique to Russian literature, but it is pervasive there and that probably informs my reception of Norshteyn.

See Also:

• Wikipedia: Yuriy Norshteyn
• Wikipedia: Francheska Yarbusova (his wife, who does most/all of his art design)
• Wikipedia: Winter Days
• Winter Days Interview with Yuriy Norshteyn
• YouTube Documentary on Norshteyn: Part 1 and Part 2