RUSSIAN ARCHITECTUREfrom early Medieval to our days

outstanding

5th August 2015 Okuyama Lab, Tokyo Tech

Part 1. architecture of Kíevan Rus late 9th - mid. 13th century

territories of modern Ukraine, Belarus and Russia

loose “federation” of East Slavic tribes on a vast territory from Baltic sea to Black sea

adoption of Christianity at 988

map of Kievan Rus at 8th century

Kýiv (Kíev)

Nóvgorod

early religious architecture of Kievan Rus had strong influences from Byzantine architecture

Tithe Church in Kyiv, 989-1240,reconstructed image,first monumental building in Kyiv

Hagia Sofia, 537Istanbul (Constantinople)

thick walls, small, narrow windows, sober simple look - similar to Romanesque architecture of Western Europe

Holy Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, 1011 (?)reconstructed model and floor plans

0 10m

helmeted cupolas (domes) - emerging of Russian style

Holy Sophia Cathedral in Nóvgorod, 1050

Volkh Vseslavevich, russian mythological strong man - bogatýr

Kievan Rus in 11th century

power of Kyiv weakens,

new centers of power emerge

map of Kievan Rus at 11th century

Rostóv

Smolénsk

Súzdal Vladímir

Kýiv (Kíev)

Vladimir-Suzdal - white-stone architecture

Dormition Cathedral in Vladimir, 1158

The Golden Gate of Vladimir, 1164part of destroyed city wall

Cathedral of Saint Demetrius, 1191 Vladímir

cross-in-square planwhite stone carving:600 reliefs, depicting saints, mythical and real animals.

Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, 1165, Bogolyubovo, near Suzdal

Part 2. architecture of Grand Duchy of Moscow late 13th - end of 17th century

feudal fragmentation

Mongol and Tatar invasions of Rus

rise of Moscow and consolidation of territories

map of Rus - republics and principalities, successors of Kievan Rus

Kýiv (Kíev)

NóvgorodNóvgorod

Kýiv (Kíev)

Moscow

13th - 14th centuries: during the period of feudal fragmentation and Tatar-Mongol invasion almost no monumental stone buildings were built

at the end of 13th century Moscow was a small timber fort lost in the forests of Central Rus'

churches and profane buildings were wooden and didn’t survive the time and fires

Only in the beginning of 15th century stone churches were built again. New Moscow style emerged

Cathedral of the Virgin's Nativity, 1407part of Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery,Zvenogorod, Moscow region

Trinity Cathedral, 1404Trinity Lavra (monastery) of St. SergiusSergiyev Posad, 70 km to the north-east from Moscow

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius - the most important Russian monastery and the spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church. Founded 1345

The Trinity Lavra of St. Sergiusour days

Assumption Cathedral, 1585 bell tower, 176888m high

By the end of the 15th century Moscow was so powerful a state that its prestige required magnificent, multi-domed buildings on a par with the pre-Mongol cathedrals of Novgorod and Vladimir. As Russian masters were unable to build anything like them, Ivan III invited Italian masters from Florence and Venice. They reproduced ancient Vladimir structures in large cathedrals in the Moscow Kremlin, and decorated them with Italian Renaissance motifs.

Palace of the Facets, Moscow Kremlin 1492, Marco Ruffo & Pietro Solario

Cathedral of the Archangel, Kremlin 1508, Aloisio the New

"Tent-like church" is unique, developed in late medieval Russia type of churches. Emphasizing verticality these churches have something in common with European Gothic spires.

Hodegetria church in Vyazma, 1650 (?)Church of the Ascension, 1532Kolómenskoe, Moscow

Cathedral of the Intercession (Saint Basil's Cathedral), 1591 Moscow

Kokoshnik is a semicircular or keel-like exterior decorative element in the traditional Russian architecture

Keel-like kokoshniks of the Holy Trinity Church in Nikitinki, Moscow

Keel-shaped kokoshnik unknown girl in the Russian costumeIvan Argunov, 1784

A boyar was a person of the highest rank in Medieval Rus. Boyars lived in palaty (from Italian palazzo)

Boyar Romanov family’s palaty in Moscow

female quarters were called térem, placed atop of palaty. Women almost never were allowed to leave them or to have male guests.

Apollinary Vasnetsov.

Moscow street at early 17th century

17th century - forbid agains tented roofs in churches and further development of the Moscow style.

Trinity church in Nikitniki, 1653Moscow

Trinity church in Ostankino, 1692Moscow

Church of Saint Nicholas in Khamovniki, 1682, Moscow

Wooden churches of Russian North were made without nails and hammers

Church of the Nativity of our Lady of Peredki, 1531,Vitoslavlitsy, Novgorod

Transfiguration Church, 1714Kizhi, Karelia

Intercession Church, 1708-1960Vytegda, Vologdacopy

Kremlin - a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities.

Solovki KremlinRostov Kremlin

Kazan KremlinMoscow Kremlin

Part 3. architecture of Russian Empire 18th - early 20th century

cultural revolution of Peter I

westernization of Russia

Saint Petersburg is the capital 1713-1728 and 1732–1918

map of expansion of Russia15th - 18th centuries

at the turn of 17-18th centuries Russian architecture get influenced by Polish and Ukrainian baroque.

Intercession Church at Fili, 1695Moscow

Súkharev Tower, 1695 -1934Moscow

Dubróvitsy church of Sign, 1697Dubrovitsy, Moscow districtGolitsyn’s baroque style

returning 1698 to Russia after 1.5 year long travel around Western Europe tsar Peter I started a cultural revolution replaced most of the traditionalist and medieval social and political systems with ones that were modern, scientific, westernized.

boyars and streltsymodern illustrations

Peter I “chops” the boyar’s beardsmodern illustrations

Peter I establishes 1703 Saint Petersburg, the first Russian city built out according to a plan. Since 1713 it’s the capital of Russia. 1714 Peter forbids the use of stone in buildings, except in Saint Petersburg.

map of Saint Petersburg, 1776 Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral,Domenico Trezzini, 1712, 1733

Menshikov Palace, 1711Giovanni Fontana, then G J Schädel, Domenico Trezzini, Bartolomeo Rastrelli

The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburgfrom, adjacent to Peter I's original Winter Palace, was built and altered 1730s -1837. The official residence of the Russian monarchs 1732 - 1917. Today it’s housing the Hermitage Museum.

It’s typical for many significant Saint Petersburg’s buildings to have two facades - one to the city and one - towards water.

Kunstkamera, 1727G J Mattarnovy Saint Petersburg

Peter's museum was a cabinet of curiosities dedicated to preserving "natural and human curiosities and rarities", featuring a large assortment of human and animal fetuses with anatomical deficiencies.

Peterhof Palace and Grand Cascade in Peterhof, outside St Petersburg, est 1714, Bartolomeo Rastrelli.These Palaces and gardens are sometimes referred as the "Russian Versailles".

Catherine II (1762 – 1796) patronized neoclassical architects invited from abroad.Alexander Palace, 1796 by Giacomo Quarenghi, Saint Petersburg

Tauride Palace, 1789 by Ivan Starov. Saint PetersburgTauride Palace View from the Neva River, Benjamin Paterssen

Russian Gothic Revival style

Grand Tsaritsyno palace, started 1796, Matvei Kazakov. Finished 2007.Tsaritsyno park, Moscow

The grand palace in Tsaritsyno

In the beginning of 19th century Empire style was the only de facto allowed. Its influence was even greater in Moscow, which had to rebuild thousands of houses destroyed by the fire of 1812.

Bolshói Theater, 1825, Joseph Bové, photograph from 1883 and interior, traditionally in gold and bordeaux.

Second half of 19th century Eclectisicm and National Romanticism became common in all European countries. Pseudo-Russian designs featured ever-growing vernacular and imaginary national revival trends.

Igúmnov House, 1893, Nikolay PozdeyevCathedral of Christ the Saviour,1883, Konstantin Ton. Demolished 1931, reconsecrated 2000

An izba is a traditional Russian countryside dwelling. Often a log house, with large, painted in white, brick stove - pech.

Part 4. architecture of Soviet and Modern Russia 1917 -

Great October Socialist Revolution 1917

Stalin’s totalitarian rule

standardization and prefabrication

Lenin’s spech for proletariat

In the first year of Soviet rule all architects refusing to emigrate and the new generation denounced any classical heritage to develop radically new ideas.

Tatlin’s Tower, or the project for the 400m high monument to the Third International - a design for a monumental building in Petrograd (former St Petersburg) by Vladimir Tatlin, never built.

Constructivist architecture emerged from the wider constructivist art movement, which grew out of Russian Futurism. Constructivist art had attempted to apply a three-dimensional cubist vision to wholly abstract non-objective 'constructions' with a kinetic element.

In 1923–1925, Lissitzky proposed and developed the idea of horizontal skyscrapers - Wolkenbügel, "cloud-irons" along the Boulevard Ring in Moscow. Each Wolkenbügel was a flat, three-story, 180m wide L-shaped slab raised 50 meters above street level.

Lenin Tribune, 1920El Lissitzky

Suprematism as art movement focused on basic geometric forms - circles, squares, lines and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors, based upon "the supremacy of pure artistic feeling" rather than on visual depiction of objects, founded by Kazimir Malevich in Russia,1913.

Kazimir Malevich, 1915Black Square

Kazimir Malevich, 1915 El Lissitzky, 1922Proun

Vladimir Shukhov represents Russian engineers and scientists on the field of architecture.

Shukhov Tower, is a radio broadcasting tower, 160m high free-standing steel diagrid structure,1922, Moscow, Vladimir Shúkhov

Shukhov Tower Project of 350 metres, 1919.

Konstantin Melnikov, front architect of 1920s Russian Avant-garde. Although associated with the Constructivists, Melnikov was an independent artist.

Rusakov Workers' Club, 1928Moscow

Kauchuk Factory Club, 1929Moscow

The Melnikov House - finest existing specimen of Melnikov's work is his own residence in Moscow, 1929, which consists of two intersecting cylindrical towers decorated with a pattern of hexagonal windows.

Narkomfin Building, apartment block, two buildings of four were built 1932, Moisei Ginzburg with Ignaty Milinis54 units, none of them has a dedicated kitchen,apartments were purely for sleep and study. Most of the units belong to "Cell K" type (with double-height living room) and "Cell F" connecting to an outdoor gallery.

Moisei Ginzburg

Visionary architect and artist Iakov Chernikhov produced gorgeous conceptual architectural renderings that were years ahead of their time; his designs bore remarkable resemblance to the modernist architecture of the late 20th century

images from th book Architectural Fantasies, 1933

The international competition for the construction of the Palace of Soviets in Moscow was the starting point of a new totalitarian aesthetics. Stalinist architecture was conservative, tending to classical monumental forms.

Winning project for Palace of the Soviets, 1933Boris Iofan

Renaissance Revival: Doge's Palace concept, Vladimir Shchuko

Adaptation, imitations and eclectics became characteristic of that era. The interaction of the state with the architects would prove to be one of the features of this time. The same building could be declared a formalist blasphemy and then receive the greatest praise the next year.

Moscow Metro - underground palaces for people.

Mayakovskaya station1938

Komsomolskaya station1952

Khruschyóvka - a type of low-cost, concrete-paneled or brick three- to five-storied apartment building which was developed in the USSR in 1960s (290 millions m2 was totally built); named by people after Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union that time.

New Arbat Avenue, 1968, Moscow

Experimental Soviet architecture

Central research institute of robotics,St Petersburg

Bank of Georgia headquarters, 1975Tbilisi, Georgia

Recreation and retreat centre Druzhba Yalta, Ukraine

Monotonous repetitive city development with standard building systems Marino, Moscow

Alexander Brodsky

Rotunda, 2009Untitled, 1993 Pavilion for Vodka Ceremonies, 2003