Russian art (in the forms of ballet, classical music, opera, painting, literature, and architecture), although closely associated with western European art, is still distinctly and uniquely Russian. Anyone who has ever read Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky can see the Russian flair he brings to his writing--it's very much unlike any other type of literature. The same thing applies to the various other artistic media. Russian art reflects the rich and turbulent history of the region, and great Russian artists have flourished through extreme political and social upheavals, censorship, and wars.
St. Petersburg has long been considered the artistic and cultural center of Russia. Peter the Great, who disliked Moscow extremely, set out to build the city in 1703. He wanted to build a city that would compete on all levels with the great cities in Europe. St. Petersburg is situated on 100 islands on the Neva River delta, so you can imagine the difficulty they must have had building the city back then. They succeeded however, and today St. Petersburg has certainly surpassed Peter the Great's wildest expectations.
Russian art museums like the Hermitage or the State Russian Museum have exhibits of paintings, sculpture, antiquities and artifacts that rival any in the world. The Hermitage has great exhibits of Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Byzantine art, as well as huge collections of Russian art and artifacts. Also in St. Petersburg, many of the great palaces of the Tsars have been restored to their former glory and are now museums. There are also museums in St. Petersburg honoring great literary figures like Dostoyevsky and Pushkin.
Great Russian Art
The city of St. Petersburg produced so many of the great Russian artists. Alexander Pushkin, Russia's premier poet, lived and died there. Ever heard of Tchaikovsky, or Glinka, or Mussorgsky? They studied and composed their great symphonies, ballets, and operas in this city. Some of the most famous ballet dancers of all time like Anna Pavlova, Rudolph Nureyev, and Mikail Barishnikov emerged out of the famous Mariinsky Ballet, which is still in existence today. The city was home to many great painters and sculptors as well.
St. Petersburg is a city alive with monuments to artists, celebrations of artists, and continued performances of classics by the great masters. Four historic theaters exist in the city where ballets, operas and symphonies have been performed for nearly three centuries. The Mariinsky Theater has been open for more than 222 seasons. Film festivals, music expositions, and various other artistic events are scheduled throughout the year in St. Petersburg.
Any serious discussion of Russian art will surely include architecture. St. Petersburg is filled with excellent examples of architectural design; classicism, neo-classicism, Russian baroque, and Russian Orthodox all being represented in the various palaces, bridges, and cathedrals. If you are a student of architecture, or just a fan, your head will surely be spinning on a visit to St. Petersburg.
Russian Art Tours
With so much art, history, and fantastic architecture in one city, companies have sprouted up that are devoted to guiding tourists through the beauty of St. Petersburg. Imagine spending days in the city touring the museums, palaces, and cathedrals, and nights dining in the finest restaurants, attending ballets and symphonies, and staying in the top hotels! There are such tours available.
Now, imagine taking one of these tours with a foremost authority of Russian art, architecture, dance, and music. This could constitute an entire master's degree in Russian art history crammed into eleven days. The key thing is that it will probably be one of the most thrilling experiences in your life. How much does such a tour cost-- $20,000, $30,000, even $40,000? No, they are much less than that, and very worth checking into.
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