This article explores the work of the contemporary artist Gennady Stepanovich Raishev and shows the features of the formation of that picture of the world that the artist broadcasts in his original works filled with vivid images of the Russian North. An analysis of the origins of Raishev's creative project points to many factors of life that are important for his becoming an artist: family, unique northern nature, Russian culture, in which the spiritual energy of the "genius of the place" is combined with Russian collective culture. Particular attention is drawn to the great cultural significance for the spiritual life of the peoples of Russia of the unique project of the Soviet government to create a new, socialist type of culture, involving the numerous peoples of the North with powerful traditions in united cultural space and a very special world outlook and way of life. It led to the creation of the Institute of the Peoples of the North, among the graduates of which were outstanding scientists, teachers, writers, artists which were representatives of the northern peoples of Russia. Among them was G. Raishev. The characteristic features of the foundations of the artistic expression of G. Raishev are highlighted and described. First of all, this is about the mythology, expressed in building a special relationship between artistic images and surrounding reality, which by no means involves reflection or copying. Raishev's images are primary, they are born there and now thanks to artistic intuition and intellectual foresight. Another characteristic feature is the philosophical understanding of space embodied in artistic reality. A feature of the artist's worldview is also the construction of cosmological images that go back to archaic representations of the Khanty people and give rise to a special sense of unity of man and the world.