The beginning of the twentieth century in St. Petersburg was marked by the emergence of a new architectural style, one of the characteristic features of which was the use of images of birds, animals, ornaments and plants borrowed from northern folklore in the design of exteriors. They brought significant revival to the massive and austere facade of Petersburg houses. The style of architecture, continuing the romantic traditions of Swedish and Finnish traditions, was called "Northern Art Nouveau". Its appearance was facilitated by a significant strengthening of Russia's ties with Sweden and Finland. In the art of these countries, the main direction was romanticism, which actively uses plots from epics and fairy tales.
This article introduces us to the bright monuments of northern Art Nouveau in the architecture of St. Petersburg.
Signs of style
The main external features of the architecture of northern modernism are combinations of natural and artificial decoration materials selected with great skill. Here, each component benefits from being adjacent to the other.
Finish granite is often used in the basement lining. The Northern Art Nouveau style provides for its rough processing, the presence of smoothly carved fragments and sculpture elements. The plane of the walls on the upper floors is covered with finishing bricks or a layer of textured plaster.
Among the decoration elements of the buildings, ornaments inspired by the images of northern folklore - its fauna and flora stand out. The frequent use of majolica and colored ceramic tiles is noteworthy.
The shape of buildings made in the Northern Art Nouveau style is quite massive, in the architecture there are no small decorative elements.
Contrasting combinations of textures and shapes, a variety of window openings, their combination with piers and the general tone of the facade of houses made in the Northern Art Nouveau style, in the full sense of the word are turned into a cold complex structure, reminiscent of large-scale structures of the Middle Ages and northern rocky landscapes .
Northern Art Nouveau in the architecture of St. Petersburg was not widespread, but nevertheless one of the most striking pages in the history of cottage construction in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century is associated with it. The main features of the area, which was appreciated by the residents of this region, were the use of natural materials - wood and stone, stylization of folk architecture of the north and the Middle Ages, the organic relationship of the exterior of the buildings with the landscape environment.
Northern Art Nouveau in St. Petersburg: History
The development of style in St. Petersburg took place under the significant influence of Finnish, Swedish and neo-romantic architecture.
The artist who paved the way from the northern countries to St. Petersburg was Sergey Diaghilev, who organized an exhibition of Scandinavian artists in 1897 at the Baron Stieglitz College of Technical Drawing. Later, Scandinavian motifs were picked up by architects who began to build houses in St. Petersburg in a style never seen before.
It is known that the conductor of style ideas from the source was Friedrich (Fedor) Lidval, one of the representatives of the Swedish diaspora in the Northern capital.
According to his projects in St. Petersburg in the period from 1901-1907. buildings were built that became an alternative to the spread of Austrian and German modern variants in the city.
Experts note a significant influence on the formation of the creative manner of the architect of such large figures in Swedish neo-romanticism as Beberg and Klasson.
An important contribution to the formation of the Northern Art Nouveau style at an early stage was made by the appearance of buildings created according to the designs of R. Meltzer on Kamenny Island. Later, the influence on the style of architecture of Finnish motifs became one of the main ones. Significant buildings of 1907, such as Putilova’s house on Bolshoi prospekt Petrograd side (the work of architect I. Pretro), and the building of the insurance company "Russia" on the street. Bol Marine (the work of architect G. Gimpel), are signs of direct citation of the works of their Finnish colleagues - L. Sonka and E. Saarinen. This, however, as experts assure, does not underestimate the individuality and high artistic quality of these works.
In the second half of the first decade of the twentieth, northern modernism in St. Petersburg became the main architectural trend that attracted the interest of young architects. With this time, the main achievements of N. Vasiliev, a former adherent of romanticism, in whose works an individual vision of style is traced, are associated. The eastern theme is dominated by the northern theme in the facade of the house of A. Bubyr (Stremyannaya St.), in the final design of the Cathedral Mosque, and in some other buildings.
Subsequently, northern Art Nouveau was sharply criticized, which was often chauvinistic. As an alternative to the so-called Chukhon Art Nouveau, neoclassicism was introduced, which was positioned as a truly national (imperial) style. And yet, more and more new buildings appeared in the Northern Art Nouveau style. The former decorativeness gave way to rationalism.
Small ornamental and sculptural decor, forming a romantic image, was replaced by a plastic combination of large volumes of the facade - balconies, bay windows, roofing silhouettes. Specialists, according to experts, are particularly interested in apartment buildings in the Northern Art Nouveau style, built in 1910-1915. (architect A. Bubyr).
Representatives
Northern Art Nouveau in St. Petersburg is represented by the work of leading architects:
- Vladimir Apyshkov;
- Alexey Bubyr;
- Nikolay Vasiliev;
- Alexandra Zelenko;
- Fedor Lidval;
- George Makaev;
- Hippolyta Pretro.
Houses in the Northern Art Nouveau style, St. Petersburg: TOP-5 of the most famous buildings
It is worth going along this virtual route laid by lovers of stylish architecture. It leads to the most famous buildings built in St. Petersburg in the Northern Art Nouveau style, and acquaints them with their history. These buildings are a bright page in the catalog of city attractions.
Bubyr House on the street Stremyannoy, 11
In the early twentieth century, the St. Petersburg architect Alexei Bubyr was acquired on the street. The stirrup plot with buildings. Together with the architect N. Vasiliev, the master begins the construction of a tenement house, in which he plans to settle with his family, and rent the rest of the apartments and rooms. The building quickly gained fame and became one of the new attractions. Passers-by were amazed and delighted by outlandish drawings abundantly adorning its facade. What creatures could not be seen on its walls: crows, fish, fantastic plants, strange creatures from fairy tales and legends. A special place in the decoration of the house was given to the image of the sun, as if called to illuminate the main side of the house, facing north: warm sunshine does not fall here.
Construction continued for two years. In 1907, new residents began to settle here. On the very last, sixth floor, the architect himself settled with his family.
Features of the style in the building on Stremyannaya
This magnificent building, towering above Stremyannaya Street, is a striking example of northern Art Nouveau: the architect Vasilyev, the main performer of decorative works on the main facade, combines many features written off from Russian sights and Mediterranean monuments.
The completion of the bay window shockes the viewer and causes associations with the domes of Novgorod cathedrals, stone beams, built on the sides of the driveway and entrance. The house reminds of drawbridges leading to medieval castles, and solar signs, which at the same time pay tribute to both European and Russian architecture, can be seen on iron fences and stucco.
Fate of the house
Bubyr was the owner of the house until 1919, after the revolution he had to leave for Ukraine, where his life soon ended tragically.
The house remained standing in its place and, like many other architectural monuments, saw a lot. The building stood in the heat of revolution, war and perestroika. He had a chance to see among his tenants and legendary citizens: the former apartment of the architect was divided into communal housing, the famous Eduard Gil lived here. Later on, the Elf cafe was opened in the house, in which representatives of the Leningrad underground, Viktor Tsoi and Boris Grebenshchikov, who gained great popularity, loved to gather. It is known that in the courtyard of this house the film “Brother” was shot.
"Tolstoy House" (apartment building of Count Tolstoy M. P.) on the street. Rubinstein, 15-17
This huge 6-storey house is not without reason called the "city in the city." The features of its layout are the presence of three courtyards connected by passages that form a real residential quarter and it seems that the inhabitants live in a space completely separate from the rest of the city: these courtyards have a lot of space, and they also have some special atmosphere . The architect is Fedor Lidval, the customer for the construction of the grandiose building is Major General Count M. Tolstoy, a participant in the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878).
Lidval liked to use elements inspired by the Renaissance in his works. In the design of Tolstoy’s house, you can find wide loggias on the upper floors, renaissance driveways-arches. The decoration is deliberate restraint: only exquisite vases in the hands of cupids, standing in niches, adorn the porches.
The house was conceived as housing for representatives of all classes: it included luxury apartments, amazing for their high cost, and modest budget options. The layout provided for elevators, laundry and water supply.
This house can be considered a champion in the number of celebrities living in it at different times, among which historians call the writer Alexander Kuprin, the artist Mikhail Shemyakin, the ballerina Irina Kolpakova, the writer and journalist Arkady Averchenko, the revolutionary poet Vasily Knyazev and many others. In different courtyards of the Tolstoy’s house, at different times every day you could see A. Akhmatova, I. Brodsky, S. Dovlatov, A. Rosenbaum, V. Gergiev, A. Raikin, A. Freindlikh, O. Basilashvili, visiting or returning home, M. Boyarsky and L. Luppian. The courtyards and the exterior of the building itself often served as scenery for the filming of films: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson", "Winter Cherry", "Born of the Revolution" and "Gangster Petersburg" were filmed here.
"Sugarloaf" (E.G. Follenweider's mansion) on 13 Bolshaya Alley
Kamennoostrovsky Avenue is famous for its wealth of architectural monuments in the Northern Art Nouveau style. This is especially evident in the exteriors of the mansion, owned by a Swiss citizen, tailor and supplier of the imperial court, E. Follenweider. The house was built in 1905 according to the project of architect Melzer. The mansion is an example of northern Art Nouveau, but differs from the rest in neo-Gothic elements. This is explained by the fact that the building was an experimental version, which laid the foundation for the direction of northern modernity that only appeared in urban architecture.
Home style
The stylistic design decision dates back to the traditions of Scandinavian and Finnish romanticism. It is distinguished by its monumentality and simplicity of volume, massive tower, decorated with a curved tent. Noteworthy is the white stucco of the walls, contrasting with red roof tiles and gray granite basement. With its exterior, the building resembles an old Scandinavian castle or a traditional Art Nouveau building, widespread in the 20th century.
Interestingly, as soon as the building was built, the people immediately dubbed it the “Sugarloaf” - most likely due to the light color of the plaster and the elongated shape of the dome. It is known that after the revolution the sanatorium was located in the mansion. Today the mansion is occupied by the consulate of Denmark.
About the apartment building of I. M. Lidval on Kamennoostrovsky Ave., 1/3
It is known that in 1898 the site on Kamennoostrovsky Avenue was acquired by the mother of the architect F. Lidval. The building is the first independent work of the architect. The author’s new technique, previously unknown in Petersburg architecture, was the arrangement of a large front yard, wide open towards the street. This detail, atypical for Petersburg tenement houses, provided a large amount of light in the apartments.
Among the details inherent in Art Nouveau, the author used a relief cartouche, with which he adorned the central portal, and the date of completion of work on this part of the house was stamped - "1902". To the right of the date is a pine branch with cones, near which you can see a forest bird striving to peck a hare sitting next to it. Behind the figure of a hare, his eared fellow running out of the thicket is visible. To the left of the date you can admire the image of the head of a lynx with its mouth wide open, next to it an owl with spread wings has perched on a bough.
The exterior is striking in its abundance of images of lizards, large-headed fish, wild berries, fly agarics, tulips, etc. The presence of diverse bay windows and balconies, window openings crowned with images of images from the fauna and flora attracts one's eye. These stylistic features became the reason that the house is mentioned in textbooks on the history of architecture. At the first competition "the best facades" in St. Petersburg (1907), the work of the architect was awarded.
Among the eminent residents of the house are the Lidval family, artist K. Petrov-Vodkin, actor Yu. Yuryev.
"House with owls" (apartment building T. Putilova) on Bolshoi Prospect P. S., 44
The building owes its unofficial name to sculptures of owls adorning its facade. The house was built between 1906 and 1907. Its author was the architect Ippolit Pretro - one of the representatives of the St. Petersburg northern Art Nouveau. The building was built for the merchant Putilova, who at that time was the owner of one of the manufactory shops on Vasilievsky Island.
The house attracts attention with an artistic mess, windows of various shapes: wide, narrow, short, long. Further, the viewer notices the presence of a stepped step of the bay windows, an abundance of ornament, rich in images drawn from the northern flora, fauna and folklore works. The house with owls is a famous landmark of the city. In the absence of decorative elements, the house could be considered an ordinary monolithic block, inside which there is a well-yard. But the presence of original platbands, balconies and images of marvelous creatures makes the facade of the building truly unforgettable. That "House with Owls" is considered a business card of the Northern Art Nouveau style. In 1912, the work of the architect Pretro at the competition of the best facades was awarded a silver medal. At that time, this meant recognition of the high skill of the author.
About the revival of traditions
To the delight of all gourmets and fans of delicious and healthy food, not so long ago, the Northern Modern restaurant was not opened in the Petrograd district. The name of the institution recalls an era marked by the unprecedented growth of Russian national identity, as well as the unprecedented flowering of art, culture and new business strategies.
The title reflects the understanding by the owners of the need to revive and strengthen national traditions. The restaurant building is adjacent to the building in which PetroCongress is located. The exquisite exterior and interior of the establishment are in harmony with the originality of its menu, which is dominated by dishes of pre-revolutionary cuisine.