2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Pseudo-Russian style is an architectural trend in Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries. The prevailing elements here are the traditions of architecture and folk art. It includes several subgroups, including Russian-Byzantine and neo-Russian directions.
In the pseudo-Russian style there are many elements borrowed from European architecture and culture. We can say that only creative motives are national here. That is why the style has such a name.
Rise
In the middle of the 19th century, when the fashion for national motifs and trends began, many artists and architects of Russia decided to create a certain “alloy” from old folk forms, but at the same time not sacrifice modern (for that period) achievements. This is how the pseudo-Russian style appears. It is intended to revive the folk art of Russia, to use it not only in small toys, craft activities or, for example, furniture, but also in larger projects.
Actuallypseudo-Russian style as such does not exist. This name is conditional. It combines several currents, sometimes with conflicting motives. Therefore, today there is some confusion when architects combine two buildings that are completely different in their forms, lines and decor into one pseudo-Russian style.
The biggest difference is in the styling. The pseudo-Russian style is so flexible that it can be combined with other architectural styles, including Art Nouveau and Romanticism.
Development
Pseudo-Russian style includes several currents. They appeared as it developed:
- Russian-Byzantine. Originating in the 1830s, this style was widely practiced in the construction of religious Christian buildings (the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Ascension Cathedral, the Grand Kremlin Palace).
- Romanticism and Slavophilism. In fact, the style, which appeared a little later than the previous one, does not have a name. But it was influenced by the listed architectural trends. A striking example is the Pogodinskaya izba.
- Ropetovshchina. The direction appears in the 1870s, it is oversaturated with folk culture and peasant architecture (Terem, Mamontov Printing House). It was this trend that became widespread due to the propaganda of the famous critic Stasov.
- Official. Pot-bellied columns, frescoes with national ornaments, low ceilings in the form of vaults - all these are characteristic features of the direction. Here, too, preference is given to traditions and folk art. Examples - Upper shopping arcade, building of the Historical Museum.
- Neo-Russian. It appears at the beginning of the 20th century. Architects lean towards monumental simplicity, so they combine elements of ancient monuments and the traditions of northern architecture. Many people notice the similarity with Art Nouveau (Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands).
Recently, historians separate the neo-Russian style from the pseudo-Russian, considering it as an independent architectural trend. But there are also those who unite them. Pseudo-Russian style buildings are widespread throughout the country, including its most remote regions.
Appearance features
As in any other country, there was a period of borrowing in Russia. Various motives and currents were adopted from Europe, Eastern states and the West. And the time has come for the lack of national elements. Therefore, the pseudo-Russian style in Russia, as well as its appearance, can be considered natural.
Features of this architectural trend lie in many ways. The predominant colors are beige, white and red.
You can also note the ability of the style to merge. There were no clear demarcations. It was easily combined with many other styles, such as gothic, pseudo-gothic or modern.
Characteristics
Pseudo-Russian style in architecture has its own differences, by which it is defined. Features can be viewed in the table.
| Elements | Characteristic |
| Rooftops | Tall, tented, with two slopes |
| Lines | Strict vertical and horizontal, occasionally complemented by smooth curves |
| Shape | Many different volumes |
| Doors | Framed by columns, expanding towards the center and tapering at the base; decorated with canopy |
| Windows | Small but frequent; rectangular shapes predominate, sometimes rounded up; decorated with a hanging weight |
Very often during the construction, the roof decor was used in the form of a spinning cockerel or flag.
Many buildings in Russia that have survived to the present, fit the description and characteristics of the pseudo-Russian style.
Conclusion
At the beginning of the 20th century, the pseudo-Russian style and the craving for the corresponding construction gradually begin to fade away. The facades of many buildings with all the turrets, high roofs, frequent small windows are no longer suitable for the architectural and administrative purposes of buildings.
For example, the Great Halls in the Duma, erected during the reign of the direction, are already being built using new achievements both in architecture and in technology (use of equipment, large machines). The needs of modern buildings do not correspond to the pseudo-Russian style. Architecture assignments are updated. And the style is becoming a thing of the past, leaving behind many monuments and unique buildings.
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