The Hermitage

The Hermitage

from Wikipedia:

"The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest museums in the world, with 3 million works of art (not all on display at once), and one of the oldest art galleries and museums of human history and culture in the world. The vast Hermitage collections are displayed in six buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace which used to be the official residence of the Russian Tsars.

"Catherine the Great started the famed collection in 1764 by purchasing more than two hundred paintings in Europe. Russian ambassadors in foreign capitals were commissioned to acquire the best collections offered for sale: Brühl's collection in Saxony, Crozat's in France and the Walpole gallery in England. Catherine called her art gallery my hermitage, as very few people were allowed within to see its riches. In one of her letters she lamented that "only the mice and I can admire all this." She also gave the name of the Hermitage to her private theatre, built nearby between 1783 and 1787."

This will mostly be photos, since the Hermitage is an art collection, after all. I actually took very few photos of art. I was entranced with the palace itself, playing at the idea of being Catherine the Great and living in this grand place.

To start with, it was difficult and really scary to get there. I had to cross the street, you see. The cars travel fast and seem to even speed up when they see tourists where they don't belong.

I'm sure by now nearly everyone has seen the installations of fancy pigs and cows in various cities, from Seattle to Athens to Copenhagen. The Hermitage has Lions.

The line to get in was fairly brief at 10:30AM, HOORAY, since it was windy and very chilly, even in late July.

I had gotten some Euro changed to Ruble in Helsinki, a very good thing because it was easy and English speaking there, much more difficult in Russia. They only take Ruble at the Hermitage ticket window, 350 for non-Russian citizens, and another 300 for the speaker that gave me the self-guided tour, about $32 total.

The palace itself is fairytale phenomenal.

These photos are of the main stairway. I don't think there was room for any more decoration, anywhere. I felt like I was walking around on an overdone wedding cake. Really beautiful.

I had a thing for these curtains. >>>

They were on most of the windows. I know they're not original, but I really liked them.

I think this was my favorite room. It was lightly gilded, done in icy blues and dripping with chandeliers. I wonder if I'd like it as well in the dark, cold, winter months.

I really did see an overabundance of art, to the point that I'd turn a corner and think, "oh yeah, another Dutch Master." There is SO much in this place.

Leonardo, Rembrandt, Seurat, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, Matisse, and on and on

The great hall below was designed after Raphael's in the Vatican museums (which I saw last summer). Of all the art in this hall, I don't know why I liked the two satyrs on the see-saw, but there it is. I also liked the lady in the green dress, imagining her life, picking out the dress to model for the portrait. Or maybe I just enjoyed the way the artist made satin happen.

Below, me and Matisse. I want to show the Picasso woman to everyone who says

"I can't draw things and make them look like they're supposed to."

From the Russian daily life exhibit

A few old Russian war horses

"Hi, I'm Pestilence Pony!"

And, the view of Palace Square on the land side of the Hermitage . . .

the closest I'm likely to ever get to the Rolling Stones, who were performing there the following night.

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