A Visit to the Hermitage and the State Russian Museum

What visit to Russia is complete without a visit to the Hermitage, Catherine the Great's Winter Palace, which now houses one of the world's most renown art collections? The Hermitage is the second largest art museum in the world, and dates back to the mid-18th century. It's collection boasts over 3 million pieces, and includes the works of well-known artists like Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Picasso, Malevich, El Greco, Rembrandt, and many more. After a two-hour guided tour of the Hermitage, we re-energized with snacks and refreshments at the local cafe, so that our creative, art-loving students could continue to explore the museum at their own pace for a few more hours.   

In the words of one of our students, especially when recalling seeing Rembrandt's "The Return of the Prodigal Son":

"When I first walked around the museum, it was more of a physical and visual appeal initially. You look at a beautiful piece of art, and admire it aesthetically, but it’s hard to comprehend the context of the mindset of the artist from merely looking at the painting. But, exploring the Hermitage with Julia (CIEE Excursions Coordinator), I was able to see the painting more fully. It became multi-dimensional, and evolved from a sensory experience to an emotional and spiritual experience.” --Junshen 

Our first academic module embodied the classical arts, such as the works which fill the Hermitage, the General Staff Building of the Hermitage, and the State Russian Museum (all three of which we managed to visit within the first week!). The State Russian Museum houses the world's largest depository of Russian art, and is one of the largest art museums in the world. 

Students enjoyed the works of Mikhail Vrubel, Ivan Aivasovskaya, Mikhail Nesterov, and more!