and according to teacher and artist alexey sergienko, they show the president's human side. >> i thought my pictures were a nice way of congratulating the president on his 60th birthday. then they got everyone talking. it made me feel i was hahaving some kinind of influenence on te political situation in the country. >> it all l began inin 2012 wite portrait "the tear", sergienko explains. after his re-election as president, putin was visibly moved to tears by the result. sergienko's portrait series shows putin striking various poses, in various scenarios, and has become a huge hit. it's making him a fortune, and he hopes that one day, his portraits will hang in every office in russia, and indeed every living room. the russian leader is ubiquitous on tv. russian writerer dmitry glukhovy says the country is s in thrall- to the cult of putin. >> since putin came to power, he's instrumentalized tv to create an image of a leader whose primary concern is his country. he's a permanent fixture on the news. he's everywhere, all the time, across the entire country. >> this repurposed gas storage