St. Petersburg in my mind

Former Philippine First Lady Madame Imelda R. Marcos, together with some government officials who were also guests of the Russian Government, graced the opening of my one-man show in Russia in 1985. It was upon the invitation of the Russian-Philippine Friendship Society, which made my coming to Russia possible. The Society provided me with a good cultural program and a Russian-Tagalog speaking guide, not to mention giving me a good excuse to do what I enjoyed most when traveling – visit the local museums and galleries, examine and sketch historical landmarks – in addition to my scheduled art exhibit.

After the well-attended and successful art exhibit, my request to visit Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg, was granted by the organizer.

It was during the 10-hour train ride from Moscow to Leningrad that I discovered my first surprise. I noticed the railway ran so straight. When I asked my guide, I was told that this particular railway was a concrete example of the authoritative rule of the Tsars.

The railway was constructed during the rule of Nicholas I. Difficulties arose as to where the line should follow, since marshes were in the way and thick forests had to be penetrated. A very winding route around these obstacles seemed necessary. The matter was eventually deferred to the Tsar who, it is said, asked for a map, a pencil and a ruler. Taking the map, he drew a line from Moscow to St. Petersburg and stated that was the route to be followed, with marshes, forests, homesteads and the extreme amount of manpower required for the task be damned.

And this is why the railway runs so straight.

I could not imagine myself, a country boy from Paete, walking not only in the center of Russia’s cultural life, but the subject of many works of art as well. Celebrated time and time again in painting, poetry and prose, Leningrad is the symbol of a nation’s culture and history.

It was Peter the Great’s determination to find a northern port with unrestricted passage to the Baltic which led to the war with Sweden, a country that was at that time one of the strongest countries in Europe.

By May 16, 1703, Peter had secured the Neva River and began to build the Peter and Paul fortress. The ground was found to be marshy and it was necessary to build the palace upon piles. Thousands of people from all parts of Russia were brought to the spot and more than 40,000 Swedish prisoners-of-war and peasants labored and perished there, their bones literally contributing to the city’s foundations.

Historians have justly criticized Peter for the brutality of his methods and the heavy toll in human lives to realize his policies. And yet, separate from the judgment of 20th and 21st century morality, Peter could not be called a cruel man for his were the methods of the age.

Morever, a revolution demanded sacrifices, and he devoted himself into making a revolution. His goal was to transform Russia into a great world power, accepted in the comity of European nations, an equal not only in military might but also in trade and industry, government and civilization. He was, indeed, the founder of modern Russia.

St. Petersburg was named capital of Russia in 1712. Under succeeding Tsars after Peter, the city grew in population to a million-and-a-half by the time of the beginning of the First World War.

The name was then changed to Russian, into Petrograd, instead of the German St. Petersburg. The former capital went into a decline. In 1924, the name was changed to Leningrad, in honor of revolutionary genius, V. I. Lenin, the founder of the U.S.S.R.

Socialist Leningrad’s development was powerful and spectacular. By 1941, the industry was turning out a 10th of the country’s production. The area of living accommodations had doubled compared with the pre-Revolutionary years. Therefore, new residential areas were built extending Leningrad’s territory, and they were designed in a way to improve transport. The city seemed to have become younger.

And then disaster struck, the most appalling in the history of Leningrad. At the cost of enormous losses, Hitler’s troops broke through into Leningrad and besieged it by land early in September 1941. For 900 terrible days, over 100,000 high-powered explosives and incendiary bombs and 150,000 artillery shells rained on the city.

But Leningrad did not surrender and the enemy troops were kept at bay. Ordinary people, peaceful citizens, including women and children, defended the city, side by side with the soldiers, displaying courage and incredible feats of heroism.

My earlier request to my organizer to visit Leningrad was primarily a bid to see the Hermitage, one of the most famous museums in the world. It contains a magnificent art and archaeological collection.

Originally built by Catherine the Great, she purchased some of western Europe’s best collections between 1764 and 1774, acquiring over 2,500 paintings, 10,000 cut gems, 10,000 drawings and a vast amount of silver and porcelain with which to adorn her palaces. None of her successors matched the quality and quantity of her remarkable collections.

After the Revolution, the nationalization of both royal and private property brought more paintings and works of applied art, including the 19th and 20th century works of European art, notably the Impressionists, Matisse and Picasso, making the Hermitage one of the world’s leading museums. It is impossible to absorb the Hermitage’s encyclopedic collection in one or even two visits.

Surprisingly, it was not the Hermitage I remember most, whenever the subject of Leningrad pops up. The city layout, the very well-maintained and restored buildings in classic architecture, monumental sculptures around the city and the peace-loving citizens all contribute to a spirit that can only be called Leningrad.

I even had a chance to meet a few contemporary artists in their studios, and I was so touched in seeing some art students in thick winter’s clothing doing huge on-the-spot drawings with a nude model (with a personalized heater) in their classroom.

Their artworks were exhibited in the walls of their studio without frames or any means of support. I grimaced when I noticed some of the artworks were masterpieces in their own right, some of which could have been sold a considerable sum in a capitalist commercial gallery. Here, it was almost disregard like so much common paper. A good breeze from the window could have easily scattered those drawings to the four corners of the earth, no apologies included. Back then in 1985, food was chiefly obtained through government ration cards, and there were very few commercial galleries operating. Survival, not art, was the premier concern.

I was also impressed by the bigger-than-life statues which the government commissioned more than the exhibition of paintings. Statues were always part of big institutions and buildings. Sculpture was generally more profitable than painting, and a good sculptor had no shortage of finding job orders.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Russia. I’m anxious to learn the changes Russia’s free economy has imparted on its former capital, Leningrad, and now voted back to its original name, St. Petersburg.

I still remember the last parting words of my Russian-Tagalog speaking guide: "Hanggang sa muling pagkikita, kaibigan ko. Mabuhay." These were words I hoped to fulfill some day.