FROM 1825 (NICHOLAS I) TO 1917 (THE REVOLUTION) [Part 1] BACKGROUND With Alexander’s death in 1825 political tension reached its breaking point. Rioting broke out, and was harshly suppressed by Nicholas I. The revolutionary leaders were severely punished, some incurring the death penalty, others being exiled to Siberia. As many of these leaders were drawn from the gentry, Nicholas lost faith in that class, and endeavoured to strengthen his position in the capital by according favours to the middle class, with the result that the capital’s population grew from four hundred and thirty thousand under Alexander to five hundred and fifteen thousand. The effect of this change was, however, short-lived, for many of the newly favoured rapidly acquired wealth and possessions, land and country houses, taste and culture, so that they very soon became art patrons and collectors in the manner of eighteenth-century noblemen. History even repeated itself, in that members of this class themselves took on the role of revolutionary leaders in the outbreaks of 1905 and 1917, in the same way that the nobility had done in 1825. They differed, however, from the aristocracy in one important essential: like certain of Turgenev’s characters, the majority were perfectly content with their native country, and they were in the main opposed to the introduction of Western habits and the play of Western influence, especially German, with which Nicholas I was most in sympathy. As a result, a considerable number of Russians became ardent Slavophiles, whenever possible ascribing the country’s difficulties to its Westernization. The supporters of Westernization were equally violent in the opposite direction, averring that a return to the traditions of Byzantium would plunge Russia back into the morass of medievalism. This contest between Slavophiles and Westemizers developed as the century wore on, and between 1830 and 1880 it influenced the whole of Russian life very considerably. Art, too, was adversely affected by it, for architecture and many of the minor arts deteriorated whilst the theatre stagnated until its revival at the turn of the century. Painting, however, continued to evolve, in spite of the fact that the brush became the propagandist’s tool, and that caricature was frequently substituted for portraiture, genre for allegory. In spite of this, some of the painting was of quite high quality, though, taken as a whole, it was Russian music and Russian literature that became throughout this age the most outstanding among the arts. ARCHITECTURE The growth of the capital’s population led to considerable building activity, but apart from Rossi’s work little of it was distinguished, even though a number of important innovations were introduced. The age thus saw the construction of blocks of flats in St. Petersburg, and by the end of the century they had become so popular that they were well on the way to ousting the town house from favour. The most successful feature in these blocks of flats were their windows. These were both very numerous and very pleasing in their sizes and disposition. In the less pretentious blocks they did much to compensate for the absence of a distinctive architectural style. The majority of the buildings erected during the latter half of the century were marred by a mass of pretentious decoration and the absence of structural rhythm and basic style; there was, in fact, a plethora of styles. Thus some buildings, designed by architects with Slavophile sympathies, were inspired by Byzantine models; while others, the work of a group of architects at the head of which was Monferrand (1786-1858), followed Italian Renaissance prototypes; others, again, recalled eighteenth-century work in Russia. Only here and there were a few buildings of quality produced, the best of which were the work of Plavov (1794-1864). He had evolved a rather severe style of his own from the classicism of Alexander’s age, and his orphanages and hospitals, with their great grooved columns, stand out as distinctive monuments. (Talbot Rice T.)
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 16:46:38 +0000
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