This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Centers for East Asian Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

The Greek god Apollo appears on Russia’s one-hundred Ruble bank note: noble, and handsome, and buck naked. His lack of apparel inspired a Russian parliamentarian to request that the image be removed. This is not the only instance in which Apollo’s flagrant nudity was deemed objectionable. Back in 2011, during a six-year scandal-ridden restoration, the iconic Bolshoi Theatre covered the genitalia of its Apollo statue with a fig leaf. This disapproval of Apollo’s “full Monty” is part of a growing conservatism here in Russia, also reflected in the increasing power of the Russian orthodox church and the government’s recent anti-gay legislation. To paraphrase Mastercard: The Bolshoi’s restoration? Seven hundred million dollars. The one-hundred Ruble note? Less than three dollars. An anatomically correct statue of Apollo? Priceless.

With thanks to Adrienne Landry for this text, from the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.