User:Improver 03 04/Art Nouveau Architecture in Russia

'Art Nouveau' is an international style of art, architecture and applied art, especially the decorative arts, that was most popular between 1893 and 1910. In Russian language it is called Modern (in cyrillic: Ар-нуво, Моде́рн).

Art Nouveau Architecture in Russia was mostly spread in large cities among merchants and Old Believers and was highly influenced by contemporary movements that constitute Art Nouveau style: Glasgow School, Jugendstil of Germany, Vienna Secession, National Romantic style of Nordic countries (one of which, Grand Duchy of Finland, was a part of Russian Empire) and Franco-Belgian Art Nouveau movement, whose name is used for the whole style in English language. But in some Russian towns, there also were unique examples of artistic expression that mostly referred to Architecture of Kievan Rus' and Wooden architecture.

A certain part of Art Nouveau heritage in Russia also lies on territories that had belonged to Germany and Grand Duchy of Finland at the moment of creation and were ceded to Soviet Union after World War II. And vice versa, Russian architectors worked on the development of Harbin in China since 1898, that explains the presence of Art Nouveau architecture there.

Saint Petersburg
The first Art Nouveau building in Russia was built in Saint Petersburg in 1898. It was Hauswald summer house built by Vladimir Chagin and Vasily (Wilhelm) Schoene.

As Saint Petersburg was situated close to the border with Grand Duchy of Finland, there was a strong influence of its National Romantic style on Art Nouveau Architecture in Saint Petersburg. This style is called "Severny modern" in Russia (in Cyrillic: Северный модерн) meaning "Northern Art Nouveau". But European movements influenced local architecture as well.

The "Art Nouveau World" website considers 7 Saint Petersburg buildings as Art Nouveau masterpieces, all of them were built by different architectors:
 * Masterpieces
 * Eliseyev Emporium by Gavriil Baranovsky (1903),
 * Vitebsky railway station by Sima Mihash and Stanislav Brzozowski (1904),
 * Singer House by Pavel Suzor (1904),
 * Duke of Leuchtenberg apartments by Fyodor von Postels (1904-1905), mostly notable for its facade-wide frieze by Sergei Schelkovy,
 * Kshessinskaya House by Alexander von Hohen (1904-1906),
 * Lidval apartments by Fyodor Lidval (also known as Johan Fredrik Lidvall, 1899-1904),
 * Basseynaya Condominium by Ernest Wirrich, Aleksei Zazersky, Nikolai Vasilyev, Aleksei Bubyr' (1912-1917).

Moscow
The first Art Nouveau building in Moscow was built in 1898-1899 - it is List House by Lev Kekushev. Kekushev was acquaintant with Victor Horta, the initiator of Art Nouveau, and was his follower. Kekushev's buildings are notable for his skillful use of metal ornaments and his signature with a lion (Lev) ornament or sculpture.
 * Lev Kekushev

Most prominent buildings of Lev Kekushev built in Art Nouveau style include:
 * Kekushev House (also known as Kekusheva House, as he had to cede it to his ex-wife in settling their divorce), 1900-1903,
 * Mindovsky House (1903)
 * Isakov Apartments (1904-1906)

Lev Kekushev also took part in the construction of Hotel Metropol. In 1898-1899, he won the first prize in the open contest, but the commissioner of the project Savva Morozov discarded the decision of a professional jury and awarded the prize to William Walcot. However, the owners retained Kekushev as overall project manager. As William Craft Brumfield wrote in his book "The Origins of Modernism in Russian Architecture", "Kekushev's assistance was probably crucial to the final realization of this complex structure, with its immense dome of glass and iron over an interior court".

Art Nouveau and Russian Revival style
Art Nouveau in Russia was promoted not only by single architects but also by art colonies who worked in Russian Revival style that is sometimes considered as Russian option of National Romantic European movement. The 2 best-known colonies were situated in Abramtsevo, funded by Savva Mamontov, and Talashkino, funded by Princess Maria Tenisheva. They mostly dealt with interior and ceramics but also left architecture monuments: Some researches include Church of the Holy Mandylion in Abramtsevo in the list of Art Nouveau buildings but it was built in 1881-1891 - before the inception of Art Nouveau movement.
 * Art colonies
 * The Church of the Holy Spirit in Talashkino by Sergey Malyutin with mosaics of Nicholas Roerich (1903-1905),
 * Teremok House in Talashkino by Sergey Malyutin (1901-1902) who later developed a project of Pertsova House in Moscow (see above).

National Romantic and Jugendstil buildings at obtained territories
The territories of Karelian Isthmus and partly East Prussia that belonged to Finland and Germany respectively were ceded to Soviet Union after World War II. The Art Nouveau heritage at Karelian Isthmus consisted of:
 * secular buildings of Vyborg and Sortavala, one of which was built by famous Finnish architects Herman Gesellius, Armas Lindgren and Eliel Saarinen in 1905,
 * 3 Lutheran churches by Josef Stenbäck in Primorsk, Melnikovo and Zelenogorsk (that has been included into Saint Petersburg city limits).

In East Prussia (that became Kaliningrad Oblast) houses in Zelenogradsk can be noted.