St. Petersburg: Article 31 Protests

From AP:

Putin predicted that Russian police would keep breaking up opposition protests unless the dissidents obtain official permission to rally – permission they are routinely denied in central Moscow.

"You will be beaten upside the head with a truncheon. And that's it," Putin declared.

Every month in Russia civil society gets rocked by a series of protests throughout the country for the right to, well, protest. The "Strategy 31 Group" stands for the last day of each month and also refers to Article 31 of the constitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly. But in practice any group that wants to assemble needs to apply in advance to the powers that be for permission. And most of the time - *surprise* - it gets rejected.


This summer Yuko and I were walking down Nevsky Prospekt, the main street in St. Petersburg, when we came across a large crowd. Shouts began to fill the air and our attention flashed over to a vehicle that looked like a large military bus parked by the side of the road. A man was yelling from a small opening on the roof while the crowd cheered him on. At the same time police officers and other men dressed in military fatigues pounced on the poor guy and violently pushed him back into the bus. We had no idea what was going on.


I asked this young guy wearing a "31" badge what was happening. He explained that "It happens on the last day every month." Apparently, a group of protesters had taken over the metro station to draw attention to the freedom of assembly issue and the crowd was there to support them.


It was a peaceful demonstration, but what was shocking was the overwhelming show of force. We hung around for a little while and watched as the protesters - young men and women - were hauled from the metro and thrown into the bus as though they were the morning trash. It was a sad reminder of what Putin's Russia has become and what it could be if its constitution was actually upheld.

Majestic: Reubens At The Hermitage

There it is - served up on Dvortsovaya square like a huge mint birthday cake floating on the Neva River. The Hermitage is Russia’s Louvre and like its French compadre, it would take days, if not weeks, to see all 3 million works of art within its hallowed halls. The former Winter Palace for Tsars and Tsarinas, it's St. Petersburg’s most recognizable landmark and one of its greatest pains in the ass. For years the city was desperate to fund its restoration and protect its spoils. It eventually found support from the world’s well funded international family of galleries.



I spent the most time inside the incredible Peter Paul Reubens room. More like a chapel, the room is the size of a bowling alley and is painted in bright orange/umber.


Some of Reuben’s finest works such as Venus Disarming Mars are on display and you can feel his power and presence radiating from the canvasses the moment you step into the room.


The one that caught my eye was Christ just before being crucified - Crown of Thorns (Ecce Homo). His shoulders and chest are smeared with the grime from a soldier’s grip and on his head rests a particularly sharp crown of thorns. A crimson satin sheet surrounds his body, while his arms are bound behind him pushing his naked torso forward so it resembles the powerful and erotic poses of a wounded St. Sebastian. It’s as though he’s stepped right out of a Derek Jarman film.


But the painting’s sublime expression resides in Christ’s eyes. Despite the humiliation and pain he's already endured they still retain a human majesty of tender proportions. He’s transcended his suffering and defeated his tormentors by offering them his forgiveness. It’s a perfect synthesis of the sacred and profane and unlike other works on the same theme, Reubens' Christ is utterly human.