HERMITAGE General Staff Building Monet Room 403

2:58

This room hosts works by one of the grand masters of Impressionism, Claude Monet. The Impressionist movement takes its name from a painting of his from 1872, entitled Impression, Sunrise. The term "impressionist" originally referred to a style considered incomplete and in stark contrast to the style endorsed by the influential French Academy of Fine Arts, which required mythological, historical or religious subjects to be painted in a realistic manner, with clear outlines, invisible brushstrokes and meticulous attention to detail. The Impressionists, on the other hand, used fresh, bright colors, their subjects came from everyday life, and they preferred to paint outdoors, so as to immortalize the passage of time and how scenes changed according to the light, and indeed they often painted several works with the same subject at different times of day.

Let me point out a few interesting masterpieces by Monet on display here.

Find the work entitled Woman in the garden. Sainte-Adresse.

This is one of Monet’s first works, painted in 1867 and characterized by bright colors, the absence of black and an impression of spontaneity that reflects the early steps of this new way of painting. The sunlight highlights the colors of the garden and the bright white of the dress worn by the woman on the left.

Now press pause and look for the work entitled Pond at Montgeron.

 

Dating to 1877, it seems to reject the rules of classical landscape painting, rich in sharply defined details. Instead, the artist focuses on capturing a fleeting impression of the elements in the painting. The woman in the background is probably Monet's wife.

Now press pause and look for the masterpiece entitled Waterloo Bridge. Effect of Fog, from 1903.

 

In those years, Monet made several trips to London, and his room at the Savoy Hotel overlooked the Thames towards Waterloo Bridge. Monet painted this subject several times, studying the changes in light due to the fog, caused partly by factory fumes. In this painting, the fog is lavender in color, enveloping and engulfing the landscape to the extent that it appears to be the very material of the bridge. The two small, dark boats and the smokestacks in the background bear witness to the industrial revolution in which the city had a major role to play.

 

An interesting fact: Monet was so obsessed with fog that he painted more than one hundred canvases depicting Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross Bridge and Westminster shrouded in fog!

TravelMate consiglia
Scegli l'opzione
che fa al caso tuo
Buy Saint Petersburg
Permanently unlock the app with all content of Saint Petersburg for
€ 7,99
Buy
Promotion
Unlock audio content of all available cities for 3 years at the promotional price
€ 19,99
Buy
Da non perdere
SAINT PETERSBURG INTRODUCTION
1 Audio

SAINT PETERSBURG INTRODUCTION

The city was founded on May 27, 1703, when Peter the Great ordered excavations to commence for the Peter and Paul Fortress on Hare Island, in the middle of the Neva River, at the point where the river...
THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE
1 Audio

THE WONDERS OF LOCAL CUISINE

Most of the specialties you can enjoy here are very popular throughout the country, and you’ll find endless variations. Classic accompaniments to any dish are yogurt and sour cream, which bring...
PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS
3 Audio

PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS

The fortress was founded as a military citadel during the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700 to 1721. Peter the Great had a splendid cathedral built within; it was here that he wanted his...
NEVSKY PROSPEKT
2 Audio

NEVSKY PROSPEKT

Nevsky Prospekt is 4.5 kilometers long, starting out from the Admiralty in Palace Square, crossing the Moyka, Fontanka and Neva rivers to the railway station and ending at the Alexander Nevsky...
PALACE SQUARE
1 Audio

PALACE SQUARE

Originally a military zone, it was turned into an area used for celebrations and banquets by Tsar Peter the Great. The 18th century saw the construction of  the palaces you can admire today,...
HERMITAGE
15 Audio

HERMITAGE

The initial core of this priceless collection of artworks dates back to 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great purchased an impressive number of paintings from a Berlin merchant, including works by...
ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL
2 Audio

ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL

The basilica we can admire today is the fourth to be built on the same site, where Peter the Great had already erected a church dedicated to his patron saint. As the city grew, however, Tsar Alexander...
KUNSTKAMERA
1 Audio

KUNSTKAMERA

The building was designed by Georg Johann Mattarnovy, in a mix of architectural styles typical of Northern Europe that Tsar Peter the Great was so fond of that it became known as Petrine Baroque. Work...
SUMMER GARDEN
2 Audio

SUMMER GARDEN

There were fountains, marble busts, gilded sculptures, a maze, a beautiful artificial cave, groves, hedges, and aviaries. Of the buildings erected later, only the Summer Palace of Peter the Great has...
YUSUPOV PALACE
1 Audio

YUSUPOV PALACE

The palace was initially built around 1776, by the French architect Jean-Baptiste Vallin de la Mothe, but over the following decades it was repeatedly altered, expanded and enhanced by the work of...
KAZAN CATHEDRAL
1 Audio

KAZAN CATHEDRAL

The construction of the cathedral, which began in 1801 and lasted for ten years, was commissioned by Tsar Paul I to replace the Church of the Nativity of Mary.In accordance with the wishes of the...
CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD
1 Audio

CHURCH OF THE SAVIOR ON SPILLED BLOOD

Work on the church began in 1883, and continued for 24 years, above all on the extraordinary decoration of the interior, consisting of almost 7,000 square meters of mosaics by 32 of the finest artists...
PETERHOF
5 Audio

PETERHOF

Shortly after founding St. Petersburg, Peter the Great planned to build a country residence, but had to postpone its construction as a result of the Great Northern War, decisive for imposing Russian...
TSARSKOYE SELO
3 Audio

TSARSKOYE SELO

In 1937, the estate was officially named Pushkin, to mark the centenary of the death of the great Russian poet and writer, who attended high school and later composed some of his works here.The main...
ALEXANDER NEVSKY MONASTERY
1 Audio

ALEXANDER NEVSKY MONASTERY

The monastery was founded in 1710 at the behest of Tsar Peter the Great, who named it after Alexander Nevsky, Prince of Novgorod and Vladimir, a Russian saint and national hero.Following the...
RUSSIAN MUSEUM
1 Audio

RUSSIAN MUSEUM

If you have time, however, I suggest you buy a ticket to visit the other locations, all of them in the city center, to admire the interiors of these beautiful buildings: the Marble Palace, the...
TravelMate App
DOWNLOAD NOW
THE TRAVELMATE APP
Purchase your activation code, download the TravelMate App, and turn your smartphone into your personal travel companion!
Listen to audio guides about the wonders of the world with TravelMate.
HAVE FUN!