Visiting the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg
The Hermitage—a place where even the name is confusing to pronounce in Korean, whether it's Hermitash, Taji, Ttaji, or Ttaju.
Along with the Louvre and the British Museum, it's one of the top three museums in the world. The third one always changes depending on who's writing.
It's home to works by Rembrandt, Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and other artists that even an art novice like me knows.
The Hermitage is one of the reasons I came to St. Petersburg, and arguably the biggest one. After taking an overnight train accompanied by snoring and getting caught in the rain, my body was completely exhausted. But knowing I had to make it for the Hermitage's opening time, I couldn't fall asleep even after lying in bed. Honestly, it was more that I hadn't adjusted to the hostel yet. I tossed and turned with my eyes closed, maybe sleeping for about 30 minutes, before waking up startled by my alarm.
I rushed out in the clothes I was wearing and headed straight to the Hermitage right in front of the hostel, just in time for opening. Despite the rain, there was a long line to buy tickets. Just as my guidebook suggested, I bought a ticket at the kiosk and then joined the long line to enter. I stood there for about 20 minutes, but strangely, the line wasn't moving. Something felt off, but I was half-asleep from exhaustion, and everyone in front of and behind me was holding tickets, so I didn't realize I was being an idiot. A little while later, I noticed that people who had already bought tickets could just walk right in through a wide-open, empty lane next to us by simply flashing their tickets. Even if you buy a ticket at the kiosk, you'll still waste time if you're clueless.
After entering, I checked my bags (which also required waiting in line), rented an audio guide narrated by none other than Korean celebrities Kim Sung-joo and Son Sook (if you listen to the audio guides at other cathedrals, you'll understand why I was so excited), and finally went in. At last, I was stepping into Catherine's treasure trove, the most magnificent palace of great Russia.
The Hermitage overwhelms visitors before they can even gather their senses. It starts with the main staircase, which forces everyone to gasp in awe the moment they walk in. Uniquely, Russia's specific viewing culture that allows photography also drives the people here wild. Everyone is frantically busy taking pictures against the backdrop of the dazzling exhibits.
Because of this, it's quite chaotic. Rather than appreciating the art, everyone seems obsessed with snapping a photo and quickly moving on to the next painting. With Russian flag tours, Chinese flag tours, Korean flag tours, and other countries' flag tours, the museum is a dizzying sea of flags. I've never been to the Louvre, but I'm sure it's not much different.
But the funny thing is, at first I was incredibly annoyed by this sight, but the more time I spent in the museum, the more I started to think:
'How many of the people here, myself included, actually think about art on a regular basis?'
Come to think of it, maybe the people rushing to take pictures, moving on, and trying to see everything before they leave are actually doing it right. Of course, I apologize to those who are knowledgeable about art and are moved by examining and feeling each piece individually. But if someone like me—who thinks they're a true art lover just by visiting a museum once a year—tried to look at every single piece, I'd probably end up missing Picasso and other famous artists without even properly understanding what I was looking at. Most people don't dedicate their lives to art enough to label this kind of viewing as "wrong" or dismiss it as ignorant, yet I realized I was pointing fingers under a grand delusion. So, I joined the middle-aged ladies, laughing and panting, participating in the sport of glancing and snapping photos.
If you happen to be an art major who absolutely hates these distracting flag-waving tourists and wants some time to yourself, I recommend finding a nearby chair, sitting down, and taking your time to look during the brief moments when the crowds clear out. I guarantee you absolutely cannot see the entire Hermitage in one day if you look at every single piece. By my calculations, it would take about four days to appreciate everything individually. And that's excluding the special exhibitions, on a day like today when it isn't overly crowded.
And if you only have one day anyway, I recommend properly appreciating just a few really famous paintings and then joining in on the "photo racing" like everyone else. If you race to take pictures with middle-aged ladies from all over the world, you can fall into a unique kind of fun and even feel a sense of camaraderie with them.
I'm probably the only one with a Hermitage review like this.
Expenses
- Morning hamburger and beer set 430RUB
- Hermitage admission 500RUB, audio guide 500RUB
- Book 450RUB
Total Expenses 1880RUB
Total Trip Expenses 525,936 KRW + 38,555RUB + $152.26