If a quick jaunt to Russia is beyond your means, The Hermitage Museum: Saint Petersburg may be the next best thing. With it, users can explore the 13-gallery museum located in the former residence of the czars and learn about the historical context in which its classical artwork was created. The Hermitage Museum is more than a collection of electronic reproductions of great paintings and sculptures. The entire museum has been re-created so that users can roam the rooms, seeing the creations displayed as they are in real life. Clicking on a painting or statue provides a close-up look at the work, and a virtual tour guide offers facts about the artist, subject matter, and the piece itself. Some of the works come with detailed animations that break down their elements, providing an in-depth look at the techniques used in each piece's creation.
Clearly no computer program can compete with the experience of seeing a brilliant work of art at close range. However, The Hermitage Museum can educate and inform art lovers, giving them an opportunity to study the Saint Petersburg collection however they choose: clicking from painting to painting, prowling the virtual galleries, or taking a themed tour of related works from different parts of the museum. This flexibility and ease of use make it possible to delve into the Saint Petersburg collection in a way that would be difficult to achieve through a single museum visit. --Alyx Dellamonica
