My father was a gifted storyteller. He often told me about life in his hometown of Bedzin (Bendin), Poland. When he read to me or shared his stories, he described every detail so vividly that those images later became a source of inspiration for my compositions. His influence on me has been tremendous.
Although the painting People of Derbent is dedicated to the people of my birthplace, Derbent—a town in southern Russia—and its surroundings resemble the city, the figures themselves were shaped by the impressions my father gave me of the Jews of Poland. Much of my childhood in Derbent was intertwined with his stories, despite the differences in time, generation, and culture between these two places.
In the painting, one can see a blending of two worlds: the Jews of Poland as my father remembered them, and contemporary Derbent. These contrasting realms were part of my upbringing and often occupied my thoughts as a child.
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