Artist Galina Datloof aims to arrive at a synthesis of the classical and the modern in her art, and counts Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, and Chagall among her "spiritual guides." Datloof was born in a small village in Russia in 1949, and not long after discovered that painting would be her life's vocation; but a small child, she started using charcoal to sketch on the neighborhood walls. In her own words, "Painting was something I just had to do, and that is where my involvement with art began."

With a good measure of talent and a dose of determination, Datloof succeeded in leaving her native village and entering the academy of arts in the city; but she carried within her the memories of her large family, struggling with everyday life but nonetheless joyfully singing and playing music, a spirit of hope in the face of hardship that is reflected in all of her work.