Neoclassicism

Categories / Architecture/Architectural Styles
NEOCLASSICISM (from the Latin сlassicus - exemplary), the style in art and architecture, based on the cult of reason and ideal order, the antique heritage being its source. The architecture of Neoclassicism is characterized by strict geometrical spatial forms, symmetry, and architectural order as a basic motif of decoration; a large-module scale, the hierarchical organization of forms, and the synthesis with painting and sculpture. The emergence of Neoclassicism in Russia was connected with assimilation of the Renaissance culture, the adoption of Italian, French and English traditions; and in the late 18th - early 19th centuries, the assimilation of classical examples. The main carriers of the culture of Neoclassicism were masters invited from abroad, as well as graduates of the Academy educated abroad. The history of Neoclassicism in St. Petersburg is divided into several stages (see Architectural styles). The basis of Neoclassicism was laid in the time of Peter the Great, with its cult of antiquity and "regular" planning. The images of Neoclassicism of the 18th-19th centuries corresponded to the ideology of the nobility at its highest stage of development, satisfied imperial expectations and nationalism. The state and the nobility were the main commissioners of the style; the best Neoclassical buildings were erected in the capital of the Russian empire; the richest collections of paintings, sculpture, decorative art, and architecture were concentrated in the palaces. Strict regulation of urban planning and architectural works carried out by special state institutions (Commission of Masonry, Academy of Fine Arts, etc.) under the supervision of emperors and empresses - Catherine II, Pavel I, Alexander I, Nicholas I. The Neoclassical architecture did not make distinction between "high" and "low" genres: both large official buildings and modest household buildings were subject to the same style system. Neoclassical sculpture is characterized by the tendency towards allegory; it generally includes the images of gods, heroes, and military trophies, which reflected in the image of St. Petersburg as a military capital. The creation of landscaped parks of Elagin Island and Pavlovsk were done in line with the English tradition. The most celebrated architects of Neoclassicism were: A. Rinaldi, A.F. Kokorinov, J. B. Vallin de la Mothe, I.E. Starov, N.A. Lvov, G. Quarenghi, A.D. Zakharov, J.F. Thomas de Thomon, K.I. Rossi, A.N. Voronikhin; sculptors - F.I. Shubin, M.I. Kozlovsky, I. P. Martos; artists - D.G. Levitsky, F.Y. Alexeev, et al. The principles of Neoclassicism can be found in the architecture of St. Petersburg ranging from all periods of construction (with the exception of Functionalism), which contributes to the integrity of architectural image of its historical centre.

References: История русского искусства: В 13 т. / Под общ. ред. И. Э. Грабаря и др. М., 1961. Т. 6; То же. 1963. Т. 8, кн. 1; Грабарь И. Э. Петербургская архитектура в XVIII и XIX веках. СПб., 1994.

Т. А. Славина. Alexander I, Emperor
Alexeev Fedor Yakovlevich
Catherine II, Empress
Kokorinov Alexander Filippovich
Kozlovsky Mikhail Ivanovich
Levitsky Dmitry Grigorievich
Lvov Nikolay Alexandrovich
Martos Ivan Petrovich
Nicholas I, Emperor
Paul (Pavel) I, Emperor
Peter I, Emperor
Quarenghi Giacomo
Rinaldi Antonio
Rossi Carl Ivanovich (Carlo Giovanni)
Shubin Fedot Ivanovich
Starov Ivan Egorovich
Thomas de Thomon Jean-Francois
Vallin de la Mothe Jean Baptiste Michel
Voronikhin Andrey Nikiforovich
Zakharov Andreyan (Adrian) Dmitrievich
Грабарь И. Э. Петербургская архитектура в XVIII и XIX веках. СПб., 1994
История русского искусства: В 13 т. / Под общ. ред. И. Э. Грабаря и др. М., 1963
История русской архитектуры: Учеб. для вузов / В. И. Пилявский, Т. А. Славина, А. А. Тиц и др. 2-е изд., перераб. и доп. СПб., 1994
История русского искусства: В 13 т. / Под общ. ред. И. Э. Грабаря и др. М., 1961 Architectural Styles (entry)
Commission for St. Petersburg and Moscow Stone Construction
Academy of Arts
Academy of Arts