The Hermitage in Photos and Film

Six buildings. The Winter Palace being the centerpiece. Over three million works of art and artifacts.

Located along the Palace Embankment in St. Petersburg, Russia, The Hermitage State Museum was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and opened to the public in 1852.

Of course the collection is extraordinary, ranging from prehistoric artifacts to classical antiquities to jewellery, art and sculpture from just about every period and school through to the post-impressionists. But on first visit, it’s not the what it contains that makes the Hermitage magnificent. It’s what it is. It’s the building and its scale and the grandeur and beauty.

My first introduction to the Hermitage was on film. Some of you may know that I wrote my Master’s thesis on the representation of history on feature film. In one of my courses I was introduced to the film Russian Ark. It runs 99 minutes and was taken in one shot. It is both the only single-shot movie and the longest single shot ever featured in a film. But beyond its technical accomplishments, the film itself is stunning.

Here are a few of my photos from the Hermitage (you are allowed to take pictures in most of its rooms). At the end of this post, the trailer for Russian Ark.

Part of a very grand entrance

To understand the scale, look at the person on the lower right.

Intricate hardwood floors in many rooms made for many exotic woods.

Ceilings and walls – everythign was decorated.

Some of the rooms looked like a traditional gallery.

Voltaire, a favorite of Catherine the Great, by Jean-Antoine Houdon

Winter by Etienne-Maurice Falconet

Room…

…after room…

…of historical furniture, fixtures…

…and even books.

And now, the trailer to Russian Ark…

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