2020 | Building Peace through Heritage
Fig . 2 - ( left ) The Palazzo del Capitaniato , Vicenza , 1572 , Andrea Palladio ; ( right ) Mossovet residential building , Moscow , 1934 , Ivan Zholtovsky
Soviet neoclassicism of the 1930s and 1950s ( which absorbed several styles at once from the “ proletarian classics ” and the ‘ stalinist Empire ” to historicism ), reached its maturity after the end of World War II . Restoring cities from ruins has become a government priority . For Soviet man , palladian formulas became a sign of authoritative architecture ( Figure 3 ).
The portico of the villas from Palladio looked like a administration building in a provincial town and the district House of Culture , a spa resort and a metropolitan university , factory management and a school . And residential buildings , especially for new representatives of the government , acquired columns . And if the architects of the 1930s , in search of a language that can satisfy the architectural demands of the authorities , call for life the most bizarre combinations of forms , then in the 1950s the style acquired uniformity . The standard becomes scaled to fit the “ greatness of the Stalin era ” Russian classicism , assigned to the role of the best architecture and main classics of all time . That is , again , Palladio - in a clean interpretation of Giacomo Quarenghi or , more often , under a layer of sculptural decoration of Carl Rossi ( Figure 2 ).
In Russia at the beginning of the 21st century , interest in the architecture of the Soviet period is again evident , manifested in its scientific study , as well as in attempts to simplify its copying . Although it is copying , without knowledge of the theoretical basis , sometimes leads to disastrous results .
Classicism in Saratov
Turning to the history of the development of the traditions of classicism in provincial architecture , it should be noted that they are as unique as the capital ’ s ones . This is illustrated by the architecture of Saratov .
By the mid-19th century , Saratov was considered the largest provincial city in the Volga region . Active transport links along the Volga River contributed to the development of trade and industry . The growth of the merchants was accompanied by great demand for the construction of urban estates and mansions . The professionalism of Saratov architects and the high aesthetic level of their works put Saratov architecture on a par with the capital .
Classicism as an architectural style manifested itself in Saratov towards the end of the 19th century . The principles of classicism were reflected in the planning structure of the city , central ensembles and mass urban development . The ensembles of the two Cathedral squares ( Old and New ), impressive city estates on the streets of Pokrovskaya , Novodvoryanskaya , Malaya Tsaritsynskaya , rich mansions , churches , “ exemplary ” residential buildings on Moskovskaya Street , numerous buildings for household use - this is the embodiment of classicism in Saratov .
One of the leading architects in Saratov was Alexey Salko . His following of the principles of classicism was
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