What is the architectural style in. Three sides of architecture

March 2nd, 2017 03:00 pm

Of course, today there are many books where all historical periods, the entire history of Russian architecture, all styles and trends are described in detail.
But the specifics of the Internet is such that many want to understand common problems in one short note.
It is this review that I offer to the readers of the journal Architectural Style -

Briefly about the periods and styles of Russian architecture

1. Old Russian architecture
X - XVII century.
The history of ancient Russian architecture has seven centuries. Even a simple enumeration of all periods of development of Old Russian architecture is a huge research work. This path was so complex and diverse.
The architecture of Kyiv and Chernigov, the architecture of Novgorod the Great and Pskov, Smolensk and Polotsk. An independent and very bright Vladimir-Suzdal architecture developed in the North-Eastern part of Rus', in the Zalessky land. By the end of the XII century. in Rus', several architectural trends are being formed, although the general principles throughout Rus' were the same. In the XIII century. The Vladimir-Suzdal school was divided into two independent ones, one built in Suzdal, Nizhny Novgorod and Yuriev-Polsky, the other - in Vladimir, Rostov and Yaroslavl. And, finally, the era of the centralized Russian state, in the XV - XVI centuries uniting separate Russian lands around Moscow. The process of unification of Russian lands around Moscow, the formation of a single Russian state, influenced the formation of an all-Russian architectural tradition. The architecture of the 17th century was characterized by the complexity and picturesque compositions, diversity and richness of architectural details.
Among the works of Old Russian architecture there are no copies from foreign buildings, there is no mechanical imitation of the architecture of neighboring countries.

2. "Naryshkin" baroque
End of the 17th century
The first stage in the development of Russian baroque dates back to the era of the Russian kingdom, from the 1680s to the 1700s, called the Moscow, or "Naryshkin" baroque. this style(?) is its close connection with the already existing Russian traditions. Striving for patterns, picturesqueness and elegance, a kind of link between ancient Russian architecture and the new Baroque style.

Church of the Intercession in Fili, in Moscow, 1694

3. Style Baroque
1st half of the 18th century
The foundation of St. Petersburg gave powerful push to the development of Russian architecture, a new stage in the development of Russian baroque begins - Peter's baroque. It was architectural style based on Western models. The largest building of this time is the Peter and Paul Cathedral. And despite the abundance of foreign architects, Russia is beginning to form its own architectural school. The architecture of the time of Peter the Great is characterized by simplicity of volumetric constructions, clarity of articulations and restraint of decoration, and a planar interpretation of facades. Later in Russia, a new direction is being developed - the Elizabethan Baroque. Its appearance is most often associated with the name of the outstanding architect Rastrelli. The difference between this style and the Petrine one lies in its close connection with the traditions of the Moscow Baroque. Rastrelli designed majestic palace complexes in St. Petersburg and its environs - the Winter Palace, the Catherine Palace, Peterhof. The architect is characterized by the gigantic scale of buildings, the splendor of decorative decoration, the decoration of facades with the use of gold. The major, festive nature of Rastrelli's architecture left its mark on all Russian art. mid-eighteenth century. The original page of the Elizabethan Baroque is represented by the work of Moscow architects of the middle of the 18th century, headed by D.V. Ukhtomsky and I.F. Michurin. The main idea of ​​the Baroque is beauty, solemnity, grandiloquence, exaggerated pathos and theatricality.

Grand Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, 1752-1757, architect. V.V. Rastrelli

4. Style Classicism
2nd half of XVIII - early. 19th century

Classicism is an appeal to the forms of ancient architecture as a standard of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity and monumentality. basis architectural language classicism became an order. Classicism is characterized by symmetrical-axial compositions and restraint of decorative decoration. Russian classicism is a style in art that arose in Russia under Catherine II, who in a certain way strove for the Europeanization of Russia. The emergence of a new style was preceded by more than half a century of development domestic art New time, characterized by the predominance of baroque. Since the 60s of the 18th century, Russian architects have been designing and building buildings in the noble simplicity of classicism.

Pashkov House in Moscow, 1784-1788 arch. V.I. Bazhenov (?).

5. « National romantic» stage
1780 - 1800
In the second half of the 18th century, along with the leading classical direction, there was a short period, which later was most often called the “Gothic style”. This is the time of active creativity of V.I. Bazhenov and M.F. Kazakov, and their most famous building is the Tsaritsyno ensemble. Despite Catherine's instructions, our architects took as their starting point not Gothic, but Old Russian forms. Tsaritsyn is characterized by an intricate colorful play of white-stone details against the background of red-brick walls, reminiscent of the details and motifs of Russian architecture of the 17th century. In general, the works of this stage in the classical architectural school called the time of national-romantic quest.

Palace in Tsaritsyno, in Moscow, 1775 - 1785, architect. V.I.Bazhenov and M.F.Kazakov

6. Style Empire
1800 - 1840
"Imperial style" Empire is the final stage of classicism, with massive and monumental forms, rich decoration, with elements of military symbols.

The main headquarters in St. Petersburg, 1819-1829, arch. K.I.Rossi

7. Eclectic
1830 - 1890
A direction in architecture that focuses on the use of any form of the past in any combination in one building. Eclecticism rebelled against academic dogmas that demanded to follow the "eternal" laws of ancient architecture. Eclecticism itself cannot be a style, as it is a mixture of stages and styles of past years.
A few words about eclecticism

Assumption Church in St. Petersburg, 1896-1898, architect. G.Kosyakov

8. Style Modern
Late 19th century - 1917
The stylistic direction is associated with the use of new technical and constructive means, free planning to create emphasized individualized buildings. The term "Modern" defines architecture that has sharply rebelled against imitation. The slogan of modernity is modernity and novelty. A system of artistic forms that is in any way related to the order or "styles" of eclecticism does not exist in modernity at all.
The principle of designing a building “outside-in”, characteristic of past styles, from the shape of the plan and volume to the internal arrangement of premises, is opposed in modernism by the opposite principle: “from inside-out”. The shape of the plan and facade is not set initially, it follows from the features of the internal planning structure.
About modern - http://odintsovgrigori.ucoz.ru/index/mod ern/0-255

Ryabushinsky's mansion in Moscow, 1900, architect F.O. Shekhtel

9. Retrospectivism
1905 - 1917
A very complex direction, a kind of parallel to late modernity. Direction Based on Development architectural heritage past eras, from ancient Russian architecture to classicism. The distinction between late modernity and retrospectivism is extremely difficult to draw. Examples of the three main currents in retrospectivism are -

9.1 - Neoclassicism
The building of the Kievsky railway station in Moscow resembles the famous buildings of Russian classicism and Empire. The symmetry of this solemn composition is enlivened by a square clock tower placed on the right corner. With sufficient rigor of architectural forms, the decorative decoration of the building is very diverse, with juicy "antique" motifs.

Kyiv railway station. 1914-1924, arch. I.I.Rerberg, V.K.Oltarzhevsky, with the participation of V.G.Shukhov.

9.2 - Neo-Russian style
Architecture researchers have expressed the opinion that the neo-Russian style is closer to modernity than to eclecticism, and this differs from the "pseudo-Russian style" in its traditional sense.
The building of the Loan Treasury combines business representativeness with the plasticity of the chambers of the 17th century. The shape of the front porch against the background of the diamond rustication of the wall enhances the decorative effect of the building. The decor is dominated by the motifs of the "Naryshkin baroque". However, the complete symmetry of the facade violates the "principles of modernity" and gives the building some eclecticism....

Loan treasury in Nastasinsky per. in Moscow. 1913-1916, arch. V.A. Pokrovsky and B.M. Nilus

9.3 - Neo-Gothic
The Catholic Cathedral on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street in Moscow is a three-nave cruciform pseudo-basilica. The main volume of the temple was built in 1901-1911, finishing work inside continued until 1917. According to various testimonies, some European gothic cathedrals. This Catholic cathedral has the largest organ in Russia and you can listen to organ music concerts.

Catholic Cathedral on M. Gruzinskaya street. 1901-1911, arch. F.O.Bogdanovich-Dvorzhetsky.

Styles......
Put all on one sheet centuries of history domestic architecture is impossible.
My task is more specific - to give a general, very schematic concept of how the styles of architecture changed from the second half of the 17th century to 1917.

And an important clarification about "Styles":
- In the history of architecture, the very concept "Architectural style" appeared relatively recently, and refers only to periods from the 18th century, from the Baroque style. Sometimes the Naryshkin baroque of the second half of the 17th century is also referred to as a style.
- The concept of “Style” is generally inapplicable to Old Russian architecture, and an expression like “a church in the Novgorod style” refers to colloquial genre, and no more!
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Literature:
- History of Russian architecture. - M.: Academy of Architecture of the USSR, Institute of History and Theory of Architecture, 1956.
- E.I. Kirichenko. Russian architecture of the 1830s-1910s. - M.: Art, 1982.

Brief description of the main architectural styles

The architectural style can be defined as a set of main features and characteristics of the architecture of a certain time and place, manifested in the features of its functional, constructive and artistic aspects (the purpose of buildings, Construction Materials and structures, methods of architectural composition).
It is customary to single out architectural styles of global significance:
Prehistoric architecture
Antique architecture. 8th century BC e. - V c. n. e.
· Roman style. X - XII centuries.
· Gothic. XII - XV centuries.
· Revival. Beginning XV - beginning. 17th century
Baroque. Con. XVI century - con. 18th century
Rococo. Beginning XVIII - con. 18th century
· Classicism, incl. Palladian, Empire, neo-Greek. Ser. 18th - 19th centuries
Eclecticism. 1830s - 1890s
· Modern. 1890s - 1910s
· Modernism. Beginning 1900s - 1980s
· Constructivism. 1920s - early 1930s
Postmodernism. From Ser. 20th century
· High tech. From con. 1970s
Deconstructivism. From con. 1980s
In fact, there are practically no pure styles in architecture; they all exist simultaneously, complementing and enriching each other. Styles are not replaced mechanically by one another, they do not become obsolete, do not appear from nowhere and do not disappear without a trace. In any architectural style there is something from the previous and future style. When referring a building to a certain architectural style, we must understand that this is a conditional characteristic, since each work of architecture is unique and inimitable in its own way. In order to attribute a building to a specific style, we need to choose the main, in our opinion, sign. It is clear that such a classification will always be approximate and imprecise.
Antique (Greek) style is the architecture of ancient Rome and Greece. This style appeared on the lands of the Aegean Sea so long ago that it was considered the progenitor and even in some way for such trends as Classicism, Neoclassicism, Renaissance. Because the Romans were students of the Greeks, they immediately adopted the antique style, supplementing it with their own elements (dome, arched-order cell).
Roman style. X-XII centuries (in some countries XIII century) (with elements of Roman-antique culture). Medieval Western European art time of complete domination of feudal-religious ideology. the main role in the Romanesque style, harsh, fortified architecture was assigned: monastic complexes, churches, castles were located on elevated places, dominating the area. The churches were decorated with murals and reliefs, in conditional, expressive forms, expressing the frightening power of the deities. The Romanesque era is characterized by nobility and austere beauty.
Gothic style, mainly manifested itself in the architecture of temples, cathedrals, churches, monasteries. In contrast to the Romanesque style, with its round arches, massive walls and small windows, the Gothic style is characterized by arches with a pointed top, narrow and tall towers and columns, a richly decorated façade with carved details (wimpergi, tympanums, archivolts) and multicolored stained-glass lancet windows. All style elements emphasize the vertical. In Gothic architecture, 3 stages of development are distinguished: early, mature (high gothic) and late (flaming gothic). The church of the monastery of Saint-Denis, designed by Abbot Suger, is considered the first Gothic architectural structure. During its construction, many supports and internal walls were removed, and the church acquired a more graceful appearance compared to the Romanesque "fortresses of God."
Renaissance (Renaissance). (fr. Renaissance), a period in cultural and ideological development Western countries. and Central Europe (in Italy XIV- XVI century, in other countries the end of the XV-XVI centuries), transitional from medieval culture to the culture of modern times. In architecture, secular structures began to play a leading role - public buildings, palaces, city houses. Using the order division of the wall, arched galleries, colonnades, vaults, domes, architects (Brunelleschi, Alberti, Bramante, Palladio in Italy, Lescaut, Delorme in France) gave their buildings majesty, clarity, harmony and proportionality to man. Particular importance in this direction is attached to the forms of ancient architecture: symmetry, proportion, geometry and the order of the components, as clearly evidenced by the surviving examples of Roman architecture. The complex proportion of medieval buildings is replaced by an orderly arrangement of columns, pilasters and lintels, asymmetrical outlines are replaced by a semicircle of an arch, a hemisphere of a dome, niches, and aedicules.
Baroque (Italian barocco - “vicious”, “loose”, “prone to excesses”, port. perola barroca - “pearl of irregular shape” (literally “pearl with vice”); - characteristic of European cultures XVII-XVIII centuries, centered on Italy. Baroque art is characterized by grandiosity, pomp and dynamics, pathetic elation, intensity of feelings, passion for spectacular spectacles, the combination of the illusory and the real, strong contrasts of scales and rhythms, materials and textures, light and shadow. The palaces and churches of the Baroque, thanks to the luxurious, bizarre plasticity of the facades, the restless play of chiaroscuro, complex curvilinear plans and outlines, acquired picturesqueness and dynamism and, as it were, poured into the surrounding space. The ceremonial interiors of Baroque buildings were decorated with multicolored sculpture, molding, and carving; mirrors and murals illusoryly expanded the space, and ceiling paintings created the illusion of yawning vaults. Baroque architecture (L. Bernini, F. Borromini in Italy, V. V. Rastrelli in Russia) is characterized by spatial scope, unity, fluidity of complex, usually curvilinear forms. Various national variants of the baroque (for example, "Moscow", "Naryshkin" baroque in Russia).
Ukrainian or Cossack Baroque is a variation of the Baroque style common in the Left-Bank and Dnieper Ukraine in the 17th-18th centuries, which is characterized by a combination of decorative and plastic solutions of Western European Baroque and Renaissance with creative processing of the heritage of Orthodox church architecture and ancient Russian architecture.
Rococo (French Rococo, from rocaille - a decorative motif in the form of a shell), a style trend in European art of the 1st half of the 18th century. Rococo, associated with the crisis of absolutism, is characterized by a departure from life into the world of fantasy, theatrical play, mythical and pastoral plots, and erotic situations. Graceful, whimsical ornamental rhythm dominates in Rococo art. The characteristic features of Rococo are sophistication, great decorative loading of interiors and compositions, graceful ornamental rhythm, great attention to mythology, erotic situations, and personal comfort.
Classicism (fr. classicisme, from lat. classicus - exemplary) - architectural style and aesthetic trend in European art of the late XVII - early XIX centuries main feature architecture of classicism was an appeal to the forms of ancient architecture as a standard of harmony, simplicity, rigor, logical clarity and monumentality. The architecture of classicism as a whole is characterized by the regularity of planning and the clarity of volumetric form. The basis of the architectural language of classicism was the order, in proportions and forms close to antiquity. Classicism is characterized by symmetrical axial compositions, restraint of decorative decoration, and a regular system of city planning.
Empire (from French empire - "empire") - the style of late (high) classicism in architecture and applied arts. Originated in France during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I; developed over the first three decades of XIX century; replaced by eclectic currents. The Empire style is a kind of reflection of the Roman classics, combined with Egyptian motifs. Empire architecture is characterized by monumentality, geometric correctness of volumes and integrity (triumphal arches, columns, palaces). The Empire style, through numerous attributes and symbols, affirmed the idea of ​​imperial greatness. The creator of the St. Petersburg Empire style is considered to be the "Russian Italian" K. Rossi. Another prominent architect of the same style was V. Stasov.

Eclecticism (eclecticism) (from the Greek eklektikos - choosing), a mechanical combination of heterogeneous, often opposite principles, views, theories, artistic elements, etc.; in architecture and fine arts, a combination of heterogeneous stylistic elements or an arbitrary choice of stylistic design for buildings or artistic products that have a qualitatively different meaning and purpose.
Art Nouveau architecture is an architectural style that became widespread in Europe in the 1890s-1910s as part of the Art Nouveau art movement. Art Nouveau architecture is distinguished by the rejection of straight lines and angles in favor of more natural, "natural" lines, the use of new technologies (metal, glass). Like a number of other styles, Art Nouveau architecture is also distinguished by the desire to create both aesthetically beautiful and functional buildings. Much attention was paid not only to the appearance of the buildings, but also to the interior, which was carefully designed. All structural elements: stairs, doors, pillars, balconies - were artistically processed. Art Nouveau architecture has a number of characteristic features, for example, the rejection of mandatory symmetrical forms. New forms appear in it, such as, for example, "shop windows", that is, wide ones designed to play the role of showcases. During this period, the type of residential tenement house. Multi-storey construction is being developed.
Constructivism, direction in contemporary art 1920s, which put forward the task of constructing the material environment surrounding a person. Constructivism sought to use the new technique to create simple, logical, functionally justified forms, expedient structures (architectural projects of the brothers A.A., V.A. and L.A. Vesnin, M.Ya. Ginzburg, I.I. Leonidov).
Hi-tech (English hi-tech, from high technology - high tech) is a style in architecture and design that originated in the depths of postmodern architecture in the 1970s and was widely used in the 1980s. It is characterized by pragmatism, the idea of ​​an architect as an elite professional, the provision of service architecture, complex simplicity, sculptural form, hyperbole, manufacturability, structure and design as an ornament, anti-historicity, monumentality.
Deconstructivism is a trend in modern architecture that took shape as an independent trend in America and Europe in the late 1980s and then spread in one form or another around the world.

Appearance buildings have changed significantly over the centuries due to technological progress, the needs of society and changing fashion. Here are the signs by which you can learn to distinguish main types of architectural styles.

Architectural styles - new and old

The appearance of a building is not always a reliable indicator of its age: architectural styles tend to be reborn. It is of interest to identify the styles that influenced the architecture of later buildings. So, in the architecture of the White House in Washington, borrowings from the era of classicism are visible, and the Houses of Parliament in London are the personification of Gothic fantasies.

Antiquity and Renaissance - architectural styles

A characteristic feature of the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome was the use of a system of orders, most recognizable by the style of the columns (see figure below). During the Renaissance, architecture, like all arts, turned to the principles of ancient Greece and Rome. Interest in classical proportions revived, and five orders again entered into practice. Ancient ideas were embodied in new elements based on more advanced technologies, such as a high dome (not known to the ancient Greeks). Architects, notably Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), borrowed the idea ancient temple with columns for decoration of facades of buildings. Both of these ideas were used by Christopher Wren (1632-1723) in the construction of St. Peter's Cathedral in London.

The most striking features of medieval architecture are manifested in the design of windows. For example, if the cathedral has small, rounded windows at the top, pierced in thick walls - in continuation of the Roman tradition - then it is built in the Romanesque style. Such windows are the first attempt to let more light into massive buildings without violating their structural integrity.

Romanesque style smoothly turns into Gothic. Early Gothic windows are lancet in shape, reminiscent of the prow of a ship. Later, this design was improved: the size of the windows increased, they were decorated with openwork carvings, similar to exquisite lace woven from stone and glass. The same airy fragility can be found in other elements of the mature Gothic buildings: high roofs and graceful buttresses, like bulging ribs, as if only one frame remained of the building.

The Gothic style became popular again in the 18th-19th centuries, and its influence is especially evident in the architecture of public buildings, in particular museums and churches. This so-called Neo-Gothic style originated in Great Britain and then spread throughout the world.

Baroque and Rococo

The simple classical lines of the Renaissance gradually gave way to the more pompous and decorative Baroque style, culminating in the frivolous and frivolous Rococo style. The first baroque buildings were commissioned catholic church at the end of the 16th century in Italy. Church and secular buildings were built in this style, including the royal palace of Versailles near Paris and the royal Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. A magnificent example of the late Baroque is the Protestant Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany (photo below). It was built in 1726, destroyed by bombing in 1945, and rebuilt and reopened in 2005.

Modern (Art Nouveau)

This style originated in the architecture of turn of XIX-XX centuries. The most notable feature is the fascination with stylized plant forms both outside and inside buildings: wrought iron balconies in the form of intricate ivy stems, undulating staircases and balustrades that curve like roots or branches with leaves, walls with curves, as if grown out of the earth, and not built according to strict blueprints. The Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) decorated Barcelona with similar buildings, among them the unfinished Sagrada Familia.

art deco

Art Deco style originated in the early 1920s. His distinctive features- functional streamlined mechanical forms and strictly geometric patterns(remember the Empire State Building in New York). Art Deco architecture is characterized by the use of overtly industrial materials such as gleaming chrome, smooth, glossy enamel, and extensive glass surfaces.

Architecture: basic styles

Architecture (or architecture) - from the Greek - "master to build."

1) Buildings (buildings and structures) surrounding a person in life and created by his hands.

2) The art of designing and building buildings and structures according to the laws of beauty.

ancient greek architecture

Any architectural structure has a clear constructive order: it consists of parts bearing(walls, columns, pylons) and carried(flat and vaulted ceilings). The most important achievement of ancient Greek architecture was invention of the architectural order.

architectural order - a certain combination of load-bearing and carried elements of the post-beam structure (i.e. stone beams were laid horizontally on columns and walls), their structure and artistic processing. The architectural order is composed of two elements - a column and an entablature.

The column consists of three parts - base, trunk and capitals. . The base is a round base on which the column rests. The column shaft may have vertical grooves - flutes. They give the column harmony, enliven its trunk with chiaroscuro. Crowns the column curly capital(from Latin - "head"). Thus, the ancient column, as it were, consists of a head, torso and legs, and was associated by the Greeks with the human body. Often, sculptures depicting people - Atlantes and caryatids - replaced the columns.

The entablature, like the column, consists of three parts - architrave, frieze and cornice. Architrave is a beam that rests on the capitals of columns or a wall. Stretches over the architrave frieze. Often outside, to decorate the building, it is covered with sculptural reliefs. Crowned by an entablature protruding cornice. Above the entablature on the ends of the building is located gable formed by a cornice and two roof slopes. It was from the facade of ancient Greek temples with columns, an entablature and a pediment crowning them that portico- the most important part of any building of the era of classicism.

In ancient Greek architecture, there was three types of architectural order :

- Doric order (formed in the 7th-6th centuries BC)

- Ionic order (formed in the 5th century BC)

- Corinthian order (formed at the end of the 5th century BC)

A distinctive feature of this or that architectural order is the type of column. doric column- powerful, stocky, with wide flutes. It has no base, and the capital is extremely simple: a square slab (abacus) and a round cushion (echin) supporting it. In the minds of the ancient Greeks, the Doric column was associated with the male body of an athlete.

Ionic column, on the contrary, is comparable to the female figure. Its trunk is thinner than that of a Doric column, it is graceful, slender. The Ionic column rests on a high base, and its capital has four beautiful curls - currencies.

The most elegant of the Greek columns - Corinthian with a magnificent capital, covered with floral ornaments. She was associated with the Greeks with a young girl.

The main architectural styles of world architecture

ROMAN STYLE(from Latin - "Roman") - an architectural style in Western Europe in the 10-13th centuries, characterized by simplicity, rigor, and massiveness of architectural forms.

Romanesque architecture is represented by monuments like religious destinations - monasteries, churches, and secular- locks.

Romance churches had to accommodate a large number of people who wanted to take part in worship, so the size of the churches increased, which led to the creation of new designs of vaults and supports. It was in Romanesque architecture for the first time in the Middle Ages that huge buildings appeared, entirely built of stone.

Romance locks also became stone and turned into impregnable fortresses. In the center of the castle was a stone tower - donjon. On the first floor there were pantries, on the second - the rooms of the owner of the castle, above them - rooms for servants and guards, in the basement - a prison. A watch was posted at the top of the tower. As a rule, the castle was surrounded by a deep moat. The bridge thrown over the moat to the main tower, in case of danger, was raised and the entrance gate was closed to it.

According to the principle of a protected fortress, the first cities surrounded by walls and moats.

The main feature of Romanesque architecture is defense capability. It is characterized by: cylindrical (having the shape of a half-cylinder) and cross (two half-cylinders crossing at right angles) vaults, massive and thick walls, large supports, an abundance of smooth surfaces and sculptural ornament. The appearance of the building was distinguished by simplicity, majesty and austerity, which complemented the severity, and sometimes gloominess.

In the sculpture that adorned the facades of the buildings, in the fresco painting of the interiors, religious dogmatism and conventional interpretation of the figures prevailed.

In the 13th century the Romanesque style was supplanted by the Gothic.

GOTHIC STYLE (GOTHIC)(from the name of the German tribe ready) - the architectural style of Western Europe in the 13-16 centuries, which replaced the Romanesque, which is characterized by the subordination of architectural forms to vertical rhythm, lancet vaults on the ribs, an abundance of stone carvings and sculptural decorations, the use of stained glass windows.

Unlike the Romanesque period, the centers of European religious, cultural, political and economic life by the end of the 12th century. became not monasteries, but cities. There were palaces of aristocrats, residences of the higher clergy, churches, monasteries, universities.

The centers of social life of the medieval city were town hall (city government building) and Cathedral (large Christian church). The town hall was a large stone building with a meeting room on the first floor and utility rooms on the second. A tower towered above the town hall - a symbol of the freedom of the city.

Gothic architecture represents an organic unity of two components - construction and decor. The essence of the Gothic design is to create a special frame or skeleton that ensures the strength and stability of the building. If in Romanesque architecture the stability of a building depends on the massiveness of the walls, then in Gothic architecture it depends on the correct distribution of gravity. The Gothic design includes three main elements: 1) vault on ribs(an arch made of hewn wedge-shaped stones that reinforces the ribs of the vault) lancet; 2) a system of so-called flying buttresses; 3) powerful buttresses. Thus, if in a Romanesque church massive vaults rest on thick walls, then in a Gothic cathedral the vault rests on arches, and those, in turn, on pillars. Lateral fornix pressure is transmitted flying buttanam(outer stone semi-arches, transmitting the thrust of the arch of the main nave to the buttresses) and buttresses(outer supports, a kind of "crutches" of the building). This design made it possible to reduce the thickness of the walls, increase the internal space of the building. The walls ceased to serve as a support for the vault, which made it possible to make many windows, arches, and galleries in them. In the Gothic cathedral, the smooth surface of the wall disappeared, so the wall painting gave way to stained glass window- an image composed of colored glasses fastened together, which was placed in the window opening. The use of stained-glass windows allowed free access of light into the room. This circumstance was extremely important for Christianity, because it gives the light a divine and mystical meaning. Colored stained glass windows evoke an exciting play of colored light in the interior of Gothic cathedrals.

If the Romanesque church is heavy and squat, then the Gothic cathedral is light and aspires upward. This is due to the use in Gothic architecture of the new design of vaults (as discussed above), as well as towers with pointed spiers and rich decorative design. Along with stained-glass windows, Gothic buildings were decorated with sculptures, reliefs, abstract geometric patterns, and floral ornaments. To this was added skillful church utensils of the cathedral, beautiful products of applied art. All this turned the Gothic cathedral into a place of genuine synthesis of all types and genres of art.

France became the cradle of Gothic. Here she was born in the second half of the 12th century. and then for three centuries it developed along the path of ever greater lightness and decorativeness. In the 13th century she reached her peak. In the 14th century the strengthening of decorativeness is mainly due to the clarity and clarity of the constructive beginning, which leads to the appearance of a "radiant" Gothic style. The 15th century gives birth to the "flaming" Gothic, so named because some of the decorative motifs resemble flames.

Table "Comparison of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles"

BAROQUE(from Italian - strange, bizarre, irregular shape) - an architectural style in Europe in the 16-18 centuries, in Russia - in the 18th century, which was associated with the noble culture of the era of absolutism. The main idea of ​​this style is beauty, solemnity, arrogance, wealth. Hence his exaggerated pathos, theatricality, which in architecture is expressed by the complexity of forms, decorativeness, pomp, luxury, excess.

baroque architecture full of movement, dynamics, she does not accept smooth, even surfaces. The plane of the wall either protrudes sharply forward in the form of a bunch of columns supporting the entablature, or sinks deep into the depths. This approach in architecture is called raskrepovka. For example, the facade of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (architect F.-B. Rastrelli) has 29 outer and 29 inner corners. This creates a bizarre play of chiaroscuro, and when moving along the facades of baroque buildings - a constant change of view. The walls of baroque buildings were densely covered with original decorative reliefs - cartouches, rocailles, mascarons. One of the architectural historians wittily remarked that the Baroque buildings seem "rather fashioned than built."

Baroque does not tolerate not only flat planes, but also straight lines. The baroque ideal is a capriciously curved curve. That is why the architects of that era often used the motif in their works. volutes- forms in the form of a curl twisted into a spiral. Another favorite baroque motif is the torn arch (or pediment). Even the roofs of buildings were made high with fractures, and statues and vases were installed on the cornices - and all this in order to break the straightness. The wall of the baroque building on the plan resembles a bizarrely broken line.

Baroque architecture is not only pretentious, but also very colorful. The roofs of the buildings were covered with silver tinned iron. The walls were painted in blue, blue, yellow colors, architectural details (columns, pilasters, cornices, window frames) in white, and sculptural decorations were often gilded.

Baroque loves various optical effects, "optical illusion". Often the exterior decoration of a building hides its internal structure. Looking outside at the baroque palace, it is difficult to determine how many floors it has. Quite often the halls have two rows of horizontally arranged windows (two-height halls), but from the outside they are separated by a cornice in such a way that an interfloor ceiling is hidden behind the wall.

The interiors of the Baroque buildings are particularly rich. At that time it was fashionable enfilade the location of the halls, which, like beads, were strung on one axis. Through the open doors from one end of the enfilade, the other is visible. Enfilades stretched for tens, and sometimes hundreds of meters.

The walls of the palace rooms were covered with silk fabric with colored ornaments, the ceilings were covered with stucco and painting (plafond painting), the floors were finished with inlaid parquet with a complex pattern, the doors were decorated with gilded carvings, many huge mirrors were hung on the walls, visually expanding the interior space of the room.

Luxurious furniture corresponded to the rich, elegant baroque interior - soft chairs, armchairs, sofas. Their curved legs, curved backs, lining made of colored silk fabric harmonized in pattern and color with the decoration of the rooms. Furniture was placed along the walls. Often, architects themselves designed furniture for their buildings. Mandatory decoration of the palace chambers were numerous works of art - paintings, sculptures, vases. All this gave the premises a festive character.

CLASSICISM - architectural style in Western Europe in the 17th-early 19th centuries, in Russia - in the second half of the 18th-early 19th centuries, which is characterized by clarity, clarity, simplicity, geometrism of forms, symmetry, logical planning, a combination of a wall with an architectural order and a restrained decor.

Classicism arose in France during the formation of an absolute monarchy. If the Baroque prioritizes the senses, Classicism rests on reason. The highest norm and ideal model for it is ancient art, primarily ancient Greek. Its main principles are clarity, orderliness, logical sequence, harmony and harmony.

The "Godfather" of architectural classicism is considered to be the Italian architect of the 16th century. Andrea Palladio. His famous building - the Villa Rotunda with columned porticos and a round central hall under the dome - became in the 18th century. role model. Palladio's theoretical work Four Books on Architecture became a reference book for all classical architects.

The architects of classicism, following Palladio, strove to express the civic ideals of their time in the majestic and austere forms of ancient architecture.

The architectural language becomes the basis of the architectural language of classicism. order , which in the Baroque played a purely decorative role.

If the baroque is characterized by an abundance of decorations, a predilection for curved lines and planes, a love of visual effects and complexity, then classicism, on the contrary, loves simplicity and clarity.

The forms of classical structures gravitate towards simple geometric figures: a cube, a parallelepiped. The structure of the building is simple. In the center is a columned portico crowned with a triangular pediment. The portico adjoins the cuboid block of the main building. Above its central volume is a hemispherical dome. On the sides of the building adjoin side buildings-wings. Everything is dominated by the principle of symmetry. The walls of classical buildings are devoid of lush baroque decor. A flat, calm surface is valued, enlivened by only a few, strictly worked out, architectural details.

Table "Comparison of stylistic features of baroque and classicism"

Empire(from French - "empire") - an architectural style that takes shape in the era of Napoleon I at the beginning of the 19th century. and was called to glorify his power and might, his military victories. This style, originating in France, took root in other countries, including Russia in the first half of the 19th century.

Empire did not arise from scratch. The classicism of the 18th century became fertile ground for him. However, the Empire, which is often called late classicism, had its own characteristics. The model for him was mainly the art of Imperial Rome, which was distinguished pomp, pomposity, commitment to the military, triumphant theme . That is why monumental structures, large urban planning projects predominate in Empire architecture, mainly public buildings are erected - theaters, stock exchanges, government and military institutions, and military motifs began to dominate in the decoration of buildings: antique swords, helmets, shields, banners, etc. If in the Baroque era sculpture was purely decorative, "decorative", now it has acquired an ideological content. The architect of the Empire is, first of all, the master of the architectural ensemble. He thinks like a city planner, transforming vast urban spaces.

In the homeland of the Empire, in France, many brilliant architectural projects were not destined to come true: the constant Napoleonic wars prevented this. But in Russia there were all the conditions for the prosperity of the Empire.

MODERN(French - "newest") - an architectural style in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, associated with the use of new structures, building materials (metal and reinforced concrete), free planning to create emphasized individualized buildings and unusual decorative effects. The desire for originality, characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, led to the deformation of the usual outlines and the appearance of curved cornices, curvilinear forms of window openings, emphasized asymmetry, bizarre ornaments from broken, broken and crooked lines, as well as using symbolic motifs - mermaids, marsh plants, etc. P.