People visit an exhibition devoted to Russia's Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin in Saint-Petersburg

Idealised paintings of political leaders are nothing new - think Joseph Stalin or Chairman Mao - but perhaps few have been as kitsch as the paintings dedicated to Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

The clue is in the title of the exhibition in Putin's northwestern home city of Saint Petersburg - which is called A Man with a Heart of Gold. In the oil paintings he cradles a fragile chick, hugs his dog and lets a tear roll down his cheek.

Painter Alexei Sergiyenko said: "I wanted to create human portraits of Vladimir Putin that provoke good feelings."

One painting focuses on the tear that glistened on Putin's cheek as he gave a victory speech to flag-waving crowds on election day. To some, it was a sign that the hard man had feelings too, but Putin later blamed the wind.

"I prefer to believe that his tears came from his feelings," said Sergiyenko, who describes himself as a Putin supporter.

In other brightly coloured pop art style paintings, Putin carries a small boy on his shoulders, cycles through the countryside with young women and holds a bunch of flowers.

He is also shown receiving an affectionate lick from his labrador retriever Connie, who became sufficiently well known during Putin's presidency to have her "own" weekly column in a women's magazine.

The exhibition of 12 paintings runs to March 29 in Sergiyenko's gallery.

The Saint Petersburg artist says on his website that his paintings are already in the collection of the presidential administration.