Category Archives: Daily Journal

As impressive as the Upper Gardens are, the Lower Gardens at Peterhof are simply breathtaking. Fountains abound, with golden figures as their focal points. From the grand palace above, water plows down the grand cascade to a fountain depicting Samson and the Lion. From there the water flows through a channel to the Gulf of Finland. Elsewhere in the Lower Gardens is a fountain showing a Triton Fighting a Sea Monster, surrounded by small turtle fountains. A remarkable feature of Peterhof is that the individual fountains are not powered by pumps. The fountains are powered by hydrostatic pressure – the difference in height between the ponds that hold the water for the fountains and the fountains themselves. Continue reading →

Peterhof, sometimes called the Russian Versailles, was Peter the Great’s palace in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, Russia. Although construction of Peterhof began under Peter the Great, the grand palace was completed by his daughter Elizabeth. It is a popular Russian tourist attraction, primarily because of the spectacular fountains on the grounds, although the upper gardens consist mainly of formal plantings of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Continue reading →

The main museum facilities of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia is a complex of six buildings, the greatest of which is the Winter Palace. The Winter Palace was the residence of the Russian Monarchs from 1762 to February 1917 and, as such, the details in the floors, ceilings, and walls are all artworks in themselves. The building of the New Hermitage, connected to the Winter Palace, includes the Raphael Loggias, which were copied from a gallery in the Vatican Palace. Continue reading →

While the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia holds many sculptures, I photographed few of them because either the lighting was unsuitable or it was difficult to obtain a photograph because there were too many people milling about. Nonetheless, here are four of the sculptures from the Hermitage. Continue reading →

Continuing on through the Hermitage, I encountered artworks by Paul Cezanne, Henri Edmond Cross, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Maurice de Vlaminck. Their works show a wide range of styles from post-impressionism, pointillism, fauvism, and cubism. Continue reading →

I visited the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia and was surprised to learn that non-flash photography of the artwork was permitted. Unfortunately, I discovered that most of the photos I took in the Hermitage were unusable due to camera movement during the long exposures needed to capture an image. In addition, because of reflections, I had to take most of the photos at an angle and, while I was able to compensate for the oblique shots somewhat by editing the images in Photoshop, the resulting images are not exact representations of the art itself. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the fact that I was able to obtain any photos at all. Continue reading →

The Church on Spilt Blood in St. Petersburg Russia is an amazing structure inside and out, although on my trip I did not visit the interior. The church was constructed to commemorate the death of Czar Alexander II who was assassinated on this spot on 13 Mar 1881. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III and was completed in 1907 during the reign of Nicholas II. The church suffered significant damage during World War II; some of the damage can still be seen. The church has been deconsecrated and is used as a museum. The Mikhalovskiy garden is adjacent to the church. Continue reading →

In St. Isaac’s Square in St. Petersburg, Russia stand two impressive structures: St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the statue of Nicholas I. The cathedral took 40 years to build and was completed in 1858. The design of the cathedral and the dome in particular influenced the design of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC. The statue of Nicholas I was remarkable for its time. It was the first equestrian statue using only two points of support – the horse’s two rear legs. The statue was unveiled in 1859. Continue reading →