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Visual list Archive · October 2018

Impressionist masterpieces at the Hermitage (photos)

From the archive. Published October 1, 2018. Details may have changed since.

  1. Henri Matisse, “The Red Room (Harmony in Red),” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    01 Henri Matisse, “The Red Room (Harmony in Red),” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  2. Paul Cezanne, “Still Life With Drapery,” 1894-85, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
    02 Paul Cezanne, “Still Life With Drapery,” 1894-85, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  3. Henri Matisse’s iconic “Dance,” an oil on canvas he completed in 1910, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    03 Henri Matisse’s iconic “Dance,” an oil on canvas he completed in 1910, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  4. Vincent van Gogh, “The White House at Night” (no, not that White House), 1890, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    04 Vincent van Gogh, “The White House at Night” (no, not that White House), 1890, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  5. Vincent van Gogh, “Landscape With House and Ploughman,” 1889, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    05 Vincent van Gogh, “Landscape With House and Ploughman,” 1889, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  6. Henri Matisse, “Pink Statuette and Pitcher on a Red Chest of Drawers,” 1910, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    06 Henri Matisse, “Pink Statuette and Pitcher on a Red Chest of Drawers,” 1910, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  7. Paul Gaughin, “Pastorales tahitienes,” 1892, oil on canvas.
    07 Paul Gaughin, “Pastorales tahitienes,” 1892, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  8. Auguste Renoir, “Young Woman With a Fan,” 1880, oil on canvas.
    08 Auguste Renoir, “Young Woman With a Fan,” 1880, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  9. Vincent van Gogh, “Morning: Going Out to Work (After Millet),” 1890, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    09 Vincent van Gogh, “Morning: Going Out to Work (After Millet),” 1890, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  10. Henri Matisse, “Family Portrait,” 1911, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    10 Henri Matisse, “Family Portrait,” 1911, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  11. Pablo Picasso, “Bathing,” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    11 Pablo Picasso, “Bathing,” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  12. Paul Gaughin, “Les Parau Parau (Conversation),” 1891, oil on canvas.
    12 Paul Gaughin, “Les Parau Parau (Conversation),” 1891, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  13. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, “Woman With an Umbrella,” 1889, watercolor, gouache and tempera on cardboard, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    13 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, “Woman With an Umbrella,” 1889, watercolor, gouache and tempera on cardboard, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  14. Claude Monet, “Meadows at Giverny,” 1888, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    14 Claude Monet, “Meadows at Giverny,” 1888, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  15. Wassily Kandinsky, “Winter Landscape,” 1909, oil on cardboard, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    15 Wassily Kandinsky, “Winter Landscape,” 1909, oil on cardboard, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  16. Pablo Picasso, “Bust of a Nude,” 1907, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    16 Pablo Picasso, “Bust of a Nude,” 1907, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  17. Paul Cezanne, “Smoker,” 1890-92, oil on canvas.
    17 Paul Cezanne, “Smoker,” 1890-92, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  18. Pablo Picasso, “Violin and Guitar,” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    18 Pablo Picasso, “Violin and Guitar,” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  19. Auguste Renoir, “Child With a Whip,” 1885, oil on canvas.
    19 Auguste Renoir, “Child With a Whip,” 1885, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  20. Pablo Picasso, “Woman Playing a Mandolin,” 1909, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    20 Pablo Picasso, “Woman Playing a Mandolin,” 1909, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  21. Paul Cezanne, “Banks of the Marne,” 1888, oil on canvas.
    21 Paul Cezanne, “Banks of the Marne,” 1888, oil on canvas. © Special to Cruiseable
  22. Vincent van Gogh, “Memory of the Garden at Etten (Ladies of Arles),” 1888, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    22 Vincent van Gogh, “Memory of the Garden at Etten (Ladies of Arles),” 1888, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  23. Pablo Picasso, “Friendship,” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    23 Pablo Picasso, “Friendship,” 1908, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  24. Henri Matisse, “Fruit, Flowers and the Dance,” 1909, oil on canvas, one of several variations he created with his “Dance” in the background.
    24 Henri Matisse, “Fruit, Flowers and the Dance,” 1909, oil on canvas, one of several variations he created with his “Dance” in the background. © Special to Cruiseable
  25. Henri Matisse, “Spanish Still Life,” 1910, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    25 Henri Matisse, “Spanish Still Life,” 1910, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  26. Wassily Kandinsky, “Composition VI,” 1913, oil on canvas. The Russian painter is credited with painting the first modern abstract works.
    26 Wassily Kandinsky, “Composition VI,” 1913, oil on canvas. The Russian painter is credited with painting the first modern abstract works. © Special to Cruiseable
  27. Henri Matisse, “Standing Moroccan in Green (Standing Riffian),” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    27 Henri Matisse, “Standing Moroccan in Green (Standing Riffian),” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable
  28. Pablo Picasso, “Tenora and Violin,” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia.
    28 Pablo Picasso, “Tenora and Violin,” 1913, oil on canvas, at the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, Russia. © Special to Cruiseable

I've always loved the masters, particularly the great artists of the Impressionism and post-Impressionism periods. So I was jazzed when our recent cruise on the ocean ship Viking Sun spent two days in St. Petersburg, Russia.

We took plenty of photos at Peterhof Palace and elsewhere, but perhaps our top experience came at the Hermitage. It's a huge, sprawling complex, and we were lucky that Viking's knowledgeable guides steered us away from the main museum (where there was a three-hour line) and toward the less crowded Hermitage Impressionism Collection in a building across the way.

The collection contains masterworks by Monet, Picasso, Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Matisse and other names you may recognize. Tip: Don't dawdle with the lesser works at the beginning of the tour — we ran out of time and had to rush through the final half-dozen rooms, which were nothing less than stunning.

We liked the fact that the museum had lots of light, unobtrusive ushers and the pace was unrushed. Unlike a lot of museums today, photography was permitted, so I spent some time capturing some of the amazing works with my Canon 5D and then color-correcting them. Enjoy the 28 photos above!

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