Boris Orlov can be considered as the most "imperial" artist of contemporary Russian art. Moreover, although the artist often works precisely with the Soviet paradigm of power and heroism, the empire becomes a certain universal constant here, which is perfectly illustrated by his "Self-portrait in imperial style" made in technique of photo montage. In two parts of this triptych the naked artist appears with his body thickly covered in tattoos depicting various awards. The third part slightly differs in the character of its amplified "imperial style": the artist captured himself in a classical pose – standing, turning around slightly, hand resting on a sculpted pedestal. He is dressed in a military dress and his coat is distinguished by an award ribbon and many medals. In this last image, the master's irony about militaristic stylistics reaches its peak.