A new Russian train station's gloomy decor, inspired by the dark and brooding writer Fyodor Dostoevsky, has raised fears the site could become a "suicide mecca".
The Moscow metro station, named Dostoyevskaya, is decorated with dark mosaics showing violent scenes from the famous nineteenth century writer's novels, the UK's Telegraph newspaper reports.
One of the mosaics depicts a bloody murder scene from Crime and Punishment, in which the novel's main character hacks to death an elderly pawnbroker and her sister.
Another shows a suicidal character from the novel The Demons pointing a gun to his temple.
Psychologists have criticised the "negative energy" of the station, which was opened last Saturday, warning it could become a attractive place for people to commit suicide.
"The deliberate dramatism will create a certain negative atmosphere and attract people with an unnatural psyche," psychologist Mikhail Vinogradov was quoted by The Telegraph as saying.
But the artist who created the murals, Ivan Nikolayev, has defended his work, saying he could not understand what all the fuss was about.
"What did you want? Scenes of dancing? Dostoevsky does not have them," he said
Subject: Station's gloomy decor sparks suicide fears 
June 23rd 2010, 1:00 pm
