Russian Architecture

The influence of the Renaissance (see RENAISSANCE ARCHI TECTURE) scarcely reached Russia, but an outgrowth of it, the Baroque (see BAROQUE ARCHITECTURE), made a strong and last ing impression on Russian architecture, leaving numerous ex amples, which were, however, sometimes considerably affected by peculiar local conditions. In Moscow a wonderful specimen in this style is the church of Our Lady in Fili, representing a further evolution of the tented church. Here the tent loses its continuity and consists of several tiers of octagonals diminishing in size and put one above the other. In St. Petersburg and in the provinces the Baroque was widely used by the court archi tect, Count V. V. Rastrelli, one of the greatest architects of the time, whose talent created an epoch for the development of the Baroque. One of the principal reasons for the great success of the Baroque in Russia was its picturesqueness, a quality after which Russian architecture had always striven.

Catherine the Great.

In all Europe, the middle of the i8th century was a period of reaction against the pretentious forms of the Baroque and of reawakening interest in the austere and noble forms of classic architecture. In Russia, the brilliant reign of Catherine the Great was favourable for the development of this movement and it found an immediate re sponse. A multitude of architects, both Russian and foreign, invited by the court, carried on the beautifying of the new capital, surrounding its vast squares with rows of classic columns, with elegant porticoes and with majestic facades. Catherine's interest in architecture was exceptional. Peter influenced the direction of Russian architecture; she assisted the development of the new school itself. With an energy equal to Peter's, she con tinued to create the capital, not only personally examining the designs but also, according to contemporaries, giving instructions and even supplying sketches for proposed buildings. During her reign the classic style was so intimately mixed with the creative genius of Russia that it occupied almost the same position as the traditional Russian style prior to the 17th century. An inex haustible supply of serf labour allowed ambitious building pro grammes to be carried out. The ruling class, the aristocracy and gentry, living on estates scattered throughout the vast country, kept in close touch with the capital and, anxious to keep abreast of its fashions, built many mansions in the fashionable classic style whose solemnity and austerity fitted the epoch to perfection. Considering the numerous and diverse structures built in the classic style, it would be no exaggeration to call Russia of the i8th and i9th centuries a country of classic architecture.

19th and 20th Centuries.

The beginning of the i9th cen tury inclined to even more austere forms, the Corinthian column gave way to the Doric, Rome seemed not simple and severe enough and early Hellenic forms came into favour. The Temple of Paestum became an ideal for the artist and the so-called Russian Empire style, very different from the dry and formal designs of Persier and Fontaine, appeared. Its characteristic traits are a Paestum-like archaism combined with great flat planes, here and there accentuated by severe but pithy ornamentation. The

architecture of this period may be regarded as the climax of the Russian classic style. Under Nicholas I. (1825-55) the character of the building activity in St. Petersburg changed and from the erection of grandiose palaces, turned to more practical and com monplace problems. Porticoes and great wall surfaces with few window-openings which did not respond to the practical require ments gradually lost favour. Petty, unnecessary details were frequently applied with the intention to conceal by their display the shortcomings of a weak composition. Russian architecture, with frequently changing artistic tastes, declined steadily during almost the whole second half of the 19th century. At one time designers turned to the old Russian national style, but inspiration was sought from its most decadent period, the end of the I 7th century; fortunately this tendency was of short duration and left no deep traces.

With the end of the 19th and the beginning of the present century the advent of industry introduced a new and rapidly growing factor. A period of active building began and symptoms of a renascence of the best of the old Russian architecture peared. Aside from current buildings a number of large factories were constructed. Residences no less splendid than the old palaces of the dignitaries of Catherine were built for the new kings of industry. At this time when the modernistic style pre vailed in Europe, two more architectural currents were evident— one purely national, traditionally Russian, founded on the early and best sources of Russian art ; the other classical, suggested by the severe and elegant architectural forms of Palladio. These two logically reflected the main traditions and the his i development of Russian architecture as though representing its two main courses of development. The World War and the subsequent revolution interrupted building for a whole decade. (W. OL.) Post Revolutionary.—Since the World War, many attempts have been made to create a national architecture from existing European styles, but these have been found unsuitable to repre sent the revolutionary ideas of the nation. All modern fads have been tried—"cubism," "futurism," "new art," "the heroic," but these have gone their way. The form of architecture in favour in 1929 and employed in all the new government buildings is based entirely on what the Russians call "mechanical technical" facts. The aeroplane, motor car and modern battleship are their inspiration, and all decoration other than the "scythe and ham mer" the Bolshevik coat of arms, is eliminated. As Ladovski, the professor of the department of "modern architecture" at the Moscow academy has stated, "The future belongs to those who have remarkably little talent for the Fine Arts." Their desire is to create a new form of architecture devoid of any traditional inspiration, one which is essentially practical and suitable for its purpose. In other words they design the plan according to the requirements of the building on a purely constructional basis, and consider the result will produce its own beauty.