Think of every famous artist you've heard of. Michaelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael (only 3 of the 4 TMNTs - Donatello was missing), Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, van Gogh, Rodin, Gauguin, Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Rubens, Rembrandt...
Now place their artwork in rooms of incredible beauty, rooms that are works of art themselves. Add crown jewels, ancient treasures, and Egyptian mummies, and you'll begin to imagine the scope of the State Hermitage.
My jaw dropped when I walked into each room. I didn't know what to look at first - the floor, the ceiling, the artworks on display? Some rooms were overwhelming, and required several viewings.
The collection is housed in the Winter Palace and Small, Large, and New Hermitages. I spent 2 full days there and still didn't see everything.
Detail of mosaic on the floor of the Pavilion Hall
The Raphael Loggias (copies of the frescoes done by Raphael at the Vatican)
Detail, the Raphael Loggias
Large Italian Skylight Hall
My favourite room: The Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting
Detail, the Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting
Detail, the Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting
The Boudoir
"The Eternal Spring" by Auguste Rodin
"Dance" by Henri Matisse
"Music" by Henri Matisse
"Absinthe" by Pablo Picasso
Jupiter
The Twenty-Column Hall
Next: Kraków, Poland (including Auschwitz-Birkenau)...
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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1 comment:
Wow. I can only imagine how beautiful it be in person, as from the photographs it looks stunning. Definitely now on my travel list. Thanks for sharing.
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