Yury Norshtein: 'The Big Eyes of War'

One of Russia's most famous animators, Yury Norshtein, seen talking at the opening of an exhibit of his work at Gallery Na Solyanke on Friday, April 23.

The exhibit, titled "Big Eyes of War," features interactive installations and a loop of all of Norshtein's films.

Norshtein is perhaps best known for his 10-minute animated film "Hedgehog in the Fog," which itself is one of the most famous in Russia.

One of Norshtein's signature techniques is the use of sliding glass plates that simulates the zoom of a camera. Visitors can watch all of his films in a loop at the exhibit.

For several decades, Norshtein has been working on an animated adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's "The Overcoat"; his pace on the project not only got him fired from the Soyuzmultfilm studio in 1985, but also earned him the nickname "The Golden Snail."

Norshtein and his wife and co-collaborator Francheska Yarbusova grew up in the shadow of World War II, and the exhibit at Gallery Na Solyanke also showcases styles from the 1940s. Seen above are clothes from the era.

Another view of mannequins dressed in WWII-era clothing.

The exhibition, which runs until May 23, is also very child-friendly, allowing children to interact with the different multimedia aspects of Norshtein's work.

A visitor taking pictures of some of Norshtein and Yarbusova's sketches.