From left: the Moscow train; the work of Boris Mikhailov and Georgy Pervov; the Russian Museum
regime that created them. This contrast between the unfamiliar beauty of St Basil‘s and the awesome spectacle of these communist creations said the most to me about the 'mysterious Russian soul‘. if there is such a thing.
On the subject of spectacles. one of the best experiences for the first-time visitor to Russia has to be the overnight train from Moscow to St Petersburg — a real rail adventure. Smartly uniformed train crew usher you on board while Moscow‘s rousing anthem plays over the station speaker system. You fall asleep in your
very basic bunk to the sound of
the train rattling through the countryside, and wake tip over 400 miles away in a completely
different city. I can‘t think of a better way to arrive: St Petersburg at dawn is serene and splendid. all
calm wide boulevards and majestic canals. A more hectic side is revealed as the city wakes up. but the feel of the place is still
very different to Moscow's grandiose. heavyr'weight
atmosphere. Built only 3()() years ago by Peter the Great. St Petersburg was designed to be a much more European city. tying Russia more closely to the West. Asa tourist. it certainly feels much more accessible.
What really drew me to St Petersburg was the impressive art collection of the Hermitage. The Winter Palace of the Tsars. which houses the Hermitage is itself a baroque masterpiece. though —
you could spend days exploring its 400 rooms and the views of Dvorsovaya Ploshchad or the River Neva. without even glancing at the magnificent collection of work by Matisse. Picasso and Rembrandt.
Another big hitter is the Russian Museum. with exhibitions charting the history of art in Russia over the last 1000 years — no mean feat. Surprisingly. what its permanent collection doesn’t cover is photography. In the early 1900s the Russian avant-garde was at the forefront of photography. but with the advent of Soviet rule. photographs depicting anything other than an idyllic life under communism usually resulted in imprisonment for the photographer. and. until
FACT FILE
Flights
KLM flies directly to Moscow from Edinburgh. Flights start at 2240. Air Berlin flies directly from Glasgow, with flights starting at £175.
Getting around
The Metro is the best way to get around Moscow. (single fares cost less than a packet of crisps and the stations are pretty impressive too). in St Petersburg, it's easier to walk. but you shouldn't pass up the opportunity of a boat trip. Food
Learn the words for 'caie’ and 'restaurant' or there's a chance you could go hungry for the first few days. Don’t miss out on Georgian food. which is equally great for both vegetarians and carnivores. Visas
Tourist visas are essential for travel in Russia. and you need to start organising them at least two months prior to departure. If you're not on a package tour, you will require visa support, which can be obtained by contacting your hotel or 8&8, again, well in advance.
very recently. photography has taken a back seat in stories of Russia‘s cultural history. at least until now. The emergence of pictures taken during this period. in exhibitions all over the country. has begun. slowly. to expose a country and a people much more akin to my experiences.
Until the l9‘)()s. Ukrainian-born artist Boris Mikhailov exhibited in friends' apartments. Now his social-realist work — most notably the Red series pictured here — sells for thousands of pounds. and earlier this year these pictures showing life behind the iron curtain were part of the Barbican‘s In the Face Q/‘Histmjv exhibition.
New organisations. like the National Centre for Photography of the Russian Federation in St Petersburg and the Moscow House of Photography. have been established in the last ten years. As well as retrospectives of early Russian pioneers. these venues showcase work from contemporary photographers like Georgy Pervov who. through the figurative (almost abstract) photographs of his Totalrealism series. hints at a side of life not accessible to casual visitors like me.
In revealing a new perspective. these images symbolise what is so exciting about visiting Russia. and how the country hooks you. You do come up against language barriers and cultural differences. but the prospect of getting round these and understanding something of this huge. historic and complex country is just too enticing to be dismissed.
5—19 Jul 2007 THE LIST 89