Russian Odyssey is open through April 4th 2004 NOW EXTENDED TILL JULY 11TH, 2004!

ussia is quite a young country in comparison with other European nations. Very little is known of its culture before the acceptance of Christianity in 989 A.D. However, beginning with the tenth century, there are surviving treasures of many distinct periods of Russian history. Each gallery here showcases a country rich with historical traditions and vibrant with culture and art reflecting a society that has frequently endured enormous change. Uncover the uniqueness of each period as you stroll through ten different galleries which include:

Old Russia
The Old Russian period corresponds to the years when the rest of Europe was experiencing the Renaissance and the Middle Ages...roughly between the acceptance of Christianity in the late tenth century to the reforms of Peter the Great in the late seventeenth century, which overturned both secular and religious life in Russia.

A unique form of religious culture based on Orthodox Christian values was a hallmark of this period. Its main elements were icons, frescoes, church architecture and jewelry.

Very few works of Old Russian art survive, however Old Russian jewelry is particularly distinguished for its outstanding

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When Russian monks sat down to eat, they did so as a single body, symbolizing the unity of the monastic fraternity. Recreated here is a traditional refectory as these special dining areas were called. The refectory would often be one of the largest rooms in the monastery, dominated by a long table.

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Church Culture
In addition to icons, Old Russian applied art focused on the notion that the Church was the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. The secular and religious authorities placed great emphasis on the decoration of churches in Old Russia, between the late tenth and late seventeenth century.

Numerous and diverse in their religious content and function, the icons and works of applied art in the church often came from different artistic centers and historic periods. The concept of Old Russian applied art embraces a whole range of works of art, including liturgical vessels, receptacles for holy water, gospels, pectoral crosses, lamps, icon covers, vestments and embroidered cloths. Many fine examples of these types of applied art are found in this gallery.

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Peter the Great (1682-1725)
Often considered the greatest reformer in Russian history, Peter the Great overturned virtually every aspect of Russian life, reforming the political, military and tax system, the economy, religious life, education and culture. He won the Great Northern War with Sweden, opening an outlet to the Baltic Sea. He founded the Russian Navy, founded St. Petersburg in 1703, and turned Russia toward the West where its society quickly assimilated the values and ideals of European culture and civilization.

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Catherine the Great (1762-1796)
Catherine the Great was the wife of Tsar Peter III of Russia, however his unpopularity with the ruling elite lead to his overthrow in 1762 and the installment of Catherine as empress. Catherine continued many of the reforms started by Peter the Great. She founded the Black Sea Fleet and reformed the Baltic Fleet. She conquered the Crimea and assimilated the south Russian lands. A Russian middle class emerged during her reign. She also wrote plays, prose and pamphlets and continued the policy of assimilation of European culture.

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The White Room
Conjure up memories of the life of the golden age of Russian aristocracy in the nineteenth century as you sample the White Room of the Mikhailovsky Palace...one of the most beautiful palace interiors in St. Peterburg.

A unique fusion of architecture, painting, period furniture and porcelain, the White Room was once the setting for magnificent balls where society ladies danced with members of the Russian imperial family to the music of Frédéric Liszt and Peter Tchaikovsky.

The White Room came through the Second World War unscathed. The Mikhailovsky Palace has been home to the State Russian Museum since 1898, where the White Room survives in its original form.

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The Peasantry and the Red Corner
In Russia, the word "Peasantry" was used to describe all people who lived off the land. Peasants comprised the largest social class in pre-Soviet revolutionary Russia. Before 1861, most peasants were serfs and as such, the personal property of the landowner, monastery or the state. It was the appalling living conditions of the peasantry that contributed greatly to the success of the 1917 Revolution.

In virtually every peasant hut was a "red corner," a special space decorated with embroidered towels and one or more icons, to form a private chapel. The word "red" did not necessarily imply a color in the Russian language. Rather it was a synonym for "beautiful", "principal", and "important." The historical routes of such names as Red Square in Moscow and the red flag used by the old Soviet Union are based in these traditions.

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The Nobility
In a world apart from the peasantry, the most privileged class in pre-revolutionary Russia was the nobility. Noblemen were people who worked for the state, were paid a salary and sometimes awarded land and serfs. Even when the income was not needed, many regarded state service as a sign of prestige.

The Nobility often lived in cities and moved in high society, attending court functions or even traveling abroad.

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Fydor Dostoyevsky
One of the most famous Russian writers, he spent most of his life in St. Petersburg where he wrote such famous novels as Crime and Punishment (1866), The Idiot (1868) and The Brothers Karamazov (1879).

Though Dostoyevsky often changed addresses in St. Petersburg, he always furnished his apartments like the one you'll experience in this gallery. The writer's windows looked out onto St. Vladimir's Cathedral, the Griboyedov Canal or the streets of St. Petersburg.

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The Age of Diaghilev
Serghi Diaghilev helped to overturn all traditional concepts of painting, graphic art and book culture in Russia and took European and American theatres by storm with his Saisons Russes near the turn of the last century.

Diaghilev helped to found the World of Art (Mir iskusstva) group and periodical of the same name. His revolutionary opera and ballet productions brought international fame to his set and costume designers and to such dancers as Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova.

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