The Addition of Dostoevsky on Moscow Subway Leads to Concerns of Suicide

Monday, August 9, 2010
Addition of Dostoevsky on Moscow Subway Leads to Concerns of Suicide 
via Juxtapoz Magazine

Moscow has been covering headlines with its current wildfire concerns and related smoke crisis, but we heard a different story about Moscow this morning. Moscow’s Subway system has a new set of murals, that psychologists fear might encourage suicidal impulses.

Listening to NPR this morning, we were introduced to Moscow subways covered in mosaics, paintings, murals, and statues. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Everyone seems to benefit from public art, but what if it’s depressing artwork, even disturbing?

“The Dostoevskaya station — which opened this summer in memory of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky — met a fair share of opposition when psychologists expressed concern that dark murals of the violent scenes from Dostoevsky's books could put riders in gloomy moods — or, worse, even encourage suicidal impulses,” NPR told us.

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