Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pre-Modern Russia: Moscow Street of the 17th Century on a Festive Day (1895), by
AndreiRyabushkin, shows a semi-romanticized view of pre-modern Russian village life:
wooden houses, unpaved streets, women in headscarves and men in long beards, beggars,
and a colorful, onion-domed village church. On the opposite wall is Nikolai Roerich 's
Battle In Heaven (1912). Roerich, of aristocratic Baltic German descent, spent many years
traveling in Central Asia and painted startling, imaginary, Himalayan landscapes in icy blue
colors. He turned himself into a sort of spiritual guru and still has a cult following in Russia
and elsewhere—some people even claim to be his reincarnation. Roerich's best works are
not on display, but you can see four more large canvases by him in the stairway off room
74.
• Continue through rooms 46 and 47, then traverse the stairwell to reach room 48.
Folk Art Detour: Here, get a glimpse of small-town Russia with a peek into the small
folk art wing, worth perusal if only for its collection of village woodcarving.
• After touring the folk-art collection, head back out to room 48 and go down the long cor-
ridor to reach a flight of stairs. Take this up to the top floor of the museum's Benois Wing,
housing most of the museum's 20th-century art. You'll begin in room 66.
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