The STaTe hermiTage muSeum annual reporT

temporary exhIbItIons
such evaluations as “interesting”, “excellent”, “rare”, “wonderful”,
“original” and “relaxing”.
We have tried to identify the visitors’ response to the
general organization of the exhibition and its structural
planning. Most of the respondents noted the success of
arranging the exhibits, the logic behind displaying varied
and multi-faceted series, the convenient location of the objects
in the rooms so that groups of exhibits and individual
works could be enjoyed by the viewers.
Apart from the general impressions, the respondents selected
specific exhibits and sections of the exhibition
which had provoked the greatest interest. They tried to explain
their choices by highlighting the originality of the
artifacts and appreciating their artistic quality. The most
frequently named objects were the sculptures of the Buddhas:
they are “filled with spirituality”, “enigmatic and mysterious”,
“have a feeling of inner strength and a kind of
revelation about them”, “create a special atmosphere”, “attract
the attention and draw your gaze to details”. The Neolithic
artifacts and early vessels amazed the viewers with
their craftsmanship and excellent state of preservation.
The eighteenth-century Choson porcelain, the twelfth- and
thirteenth-century Kore ceramics, the fourteenth-century
Kore image of Bodhisattva all have incredibly pure and
harmonious outlines. The scrolls with monochrome landscapes
and illustrations to poetic lines were remarkable in
the way they conveyed moods and were filled with a special
feeling. The screens with drawings by Kim Khondo were
appreciated as examples of artistic brilliance and elegance,
as representatives of specifically Korean culture, etc.
The appreciation of the exhibition and the Korean culture
as a whole was much enhanced by the detailed information
provided in the exhibition room, which contained important
historical facts about the establishment and evolution
of the Korean state. Many visitors called these texts
a discovery of Korea and the long history of its art.
The vast majority of respondents had a high opinion
about the explanatory texts, believing that they were informative,
provided a historical background, were clearly
worded, helped the appreciation of a complex and littleknown
material, and paved the way for a further exploration
of Korean history and culture. A number of visitors,
while paying tribute to the informative and well-structured
explanatory texts, also had a number of suggestions and
comments, which testify to their in-depth appreciation
of Korean art:
– it would be nice to have a literary, poetic commentary;
– more translations from Korean would be welcome;
– some labels had a description of the object rather than
its use;
– it is a pity that there was no map showing the locations
where the ancient artifacts were found.
An important matter of the exhibition title also has to be
mentioned. “The Wind in the Pines” was associated in the
minds of the visitors with the pure sounds of Korean music
and proved attractive and enticing. Did the visitors believe
the title was meaningful? It is beyond doubt that many of
them did: a certain understatement, an emotional and
philosophical value of the title appealed to the viewers and
was reflected in the responses to the question “What do
you think is the hidden meaning of the title ‘The Wind
in the Pines…’”? 68% of respondents of different ages and
occupations expressed some reactions and associations
provoked by the title and appreciation of the exhibition.
By Tatiana Galich
The puBlic on The hermiTage acQuiSiTionS
(on the basis of a sociological survey held at the temporary
exhibition watercolour portraits and decorative
porcelain. new acquisitions)
The acquisition by the Hermitage of 92 watercolours and
over 140 porcelain pieces from the current owner of the
famous Gallerie Popoff (Popov Gallery), Maurice Baruch,
is often called the purchase of the century. The foundation
of the collection was laid by Alexander Popov. A professional
officer who fought in the First World War, Popov
moved to France in 1919 and opened an antiques shop
which acquired exceptional works of art. The central place
in Popov’s collection belongs to the watercolour portraits
of the first half of the 19th century – a time when this genre
flourished both in Russia and in Europe. The exhibition
displayed the works by over 30 artists of the period, both
well-known and forgotten (Piotr Sokolov, Edward Hau, Orest
Kiprensky, Karl Briullov, Alexander Orlovsky, Christina
Robertson, Alexander Molinari, Franz Krueger and other
nineteenth-century Russian and Western painters).
The Gallerie Popoff & Co has always taken special pride
in its unique porcelain. An important part of the exhibition
was a display of Russian porcelain of the second half
of the 18th century, first and foremost the products of the
St. Petersburg Imperial Porcelain Factory, made specifically
for the members of the Romanov family and their closest
associates.
Around 160,000 people visited the exhibition in a month,
on average 5,500 visitors per day. Throughout the time
it was open, a random selection of Russian-speaking visitors
were asked to fill in a questionnaire after seeing it.
The sociological study aimed to reflect the structure of the
visiting public, their reasons for coming to the Hermitage,
the impressions left by the temporary exhibition and the
reasons for such responses.
The exhibition was primarily attended by women, who
accounted for 90% of the respondents. In quantitative
terms, the largest category were young people under
30 (40%), followed by an older generation (over 51 years
of age: 35%) and middle-aged people (25%). The visitors
mostly had a higher education, complete (70%) or incom-
plete (16%). The structure of the public was dominated by
old age pensioners, engineers and technicians, students,
school and university teachers. The majority of the visitors
lived in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region (78%).
18% of the visitors had come from other parts of Russia,
and 4% from abroad.
Half of the respondents (51%) quoted the temporary exhibitions
at the Hermitage as the primary goal of their
visit. 32% were exclusively interested in the exhibition Watercolour
Portraits and Decorative Porcelain. New Acquisitions,
while 16% were interested in all the current temporary exhibitions,
and 3% were interested in temporary exhibitions
and certain permanent displays. The “exhibition” public,
i.e. those who had come specially, consisted only of St. Petersburg
(48%) and Leningrad Region (3%) residents.
Around 3/5 of the respondents (58%) had known about
the exhibition before coming to the Hermitage; they had
mostly learned about it from television (the Culture and
STO Channels), newspapers (Panorama TV, Sankt-Peterburgskie
Vedomosti), and the radio (Radio Hermitage, Radio
of Russia).
Half of the respondents (50%) had specific reasons for
wanting to see the exhibition, which encompassed a wide
range of artistic, cultural and historical topics:
– eighteenth- and nineteenth-century pictorial art;
– the technologies of watercolour drawings and making
porcelain objects;
– the history of porcelain and watercolour;
– the Vinogradov porcelain and the techniques of its
production;
– biographies of the artists;
– the persons portrayed in the watercolours;
– the age when the works of art were made;
– the story of the acquisition of the collection by the Hermitage,
its previous history, and the price paid for it.
Half of the respondents were moved by the general desire
to broaden their horizons: they “came out of interest”,
“wanted to see the exhibition as a whole”, “felt it necessary
for the sake of general awareness”, etc.
The exhibition was highly rated by the general public;
the impressions were exclusively positive. The vast majority
of respondents (nearly 4/5) gave it the highest mark
(the evaluations were ranged as excellent/good/satisfactory/unsatisfactory).
Among the strong points, the respondents
noted the high artistic level and rarity of the exhibits,
the selection of the works on display, the excellent
preservation of the watercolours, and the recreation of the
spiritual atmosphere of the represented historical period.
Evaluation of the exhibition
as a whole
Excellent
Good
No response
Average points
% of the overall number
of respondents
2/3 of the respondents (66%) had a positive opinion concerning
the topic of the exhibition; it was “interesting and
relevant”, and the degree to which this topic was reflected:
“full”. Around 30% of the visitors believed themselves
to be insufficiently competent to give a detailed answer
to this question.
5% of the respondents described the topic of the exhibition
as insufficiently reflected:
– there was no information on how the Hermitage had acquired
the collection, and little information on the collectors
(female, 29, higher education (humanities), museum
worker, St. Petersburg).
– not enough general information helping to form an overall
impression of the exhibition (female, 21, uncompleted
higher education (economics), student of the St. Petersburg
State Academy of Management Systems).
Evaluation of the exhibition
topic and its representation
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
No response
Average points
% of the overall number
of respondents
60 61
78
20
2
4.8
45
21
5
29
4.6
The vast majority of the respondents (around 90%) had
a positive opinion about the structure and presentation
of the exhibition. They noted the convenient placement
of the objects, a good light and the quality of the accompanying
information:
– the exhibits were well-spaced so that they could be
viewed without waiting in a queue, which is a very big plus
(female, 23, uncompleted higher education (art), student
of St. Petersburg State University).
– the objects were easy to view and well-lit (male, 74, higher
education (technology), retired, St. Petersburg).
– informative labels and well-planned spacing of the
exhibits (female, 50, higher education (art), restorer,
St. Petersburg).
Evaluation of the exhibition
structure and planning
Excellent
Good
Satisfactory
No response
Average points
temporary exhIbItIons
% of the overall number
of respondents
57
29
4
10
4.6
By Alexei Roshchin