The Blue Village: On the far side of Lake Onega

It was the special quality of the light in Karelia that captivated me. What came first, however, was not light, but rather a January in the mid-80s, as I got to know this extraordinary city, one which had something that I had not seen in other places, a particular genius loci, a quiet, unassuming dignity and discreet charm. It took me no time at all to realise that Petrozavodsk is a place with a uniquely high concentration of culture. As for the magic of light, that was revealed at the start of my first summer. For me, a person born in more southerly latitudes, the discovery of this northern [type of] light coincided with the discovery of the ocean we call Lake OnegaThe discovery of Onega determined the way I see colour in Karelia. Despite the various greens of the forest, it will always remain for me cast in shades of white: white, whitish, grey, even transparent. It is no coincidence that that the sea here is the White Sea. To my eye, Karelia looks drawn rather than painted.