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PETER AND PAUL
Pastel and Colored Pencil on paper
16 x 20
The golden spire of the Peter and Paul Cathedral rises above the Neva River on the Fortress of Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg is a city of
contrasts. The monumental buildings like the Hermitage that line the river are what people think about when they envision Peter
the Great's frozen city on the Baltic Sea, but a short distance from the Winter Palace all is the crumbling ruin of former
Communist times. The people are valiant in their determination to restore their great city to its Imperial majesty but
the continual lack of funds makes restoration difficult, yet they persevere, especially in the areas that are most frequented
by tourists.
I thought Russia a fascinating country to visit and St Petersburg a place of fragile beauty. Who could
imagine by simply admiring the long line of pastel mansions that line the Neva that Peter the Czar resolved to build his city
on the backs of the Russian peasants. Their bodies form the foundation of the Peter and Paul Fortress where the murdered
members of the Romanov Dynasty are buried.
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