Zholtovsky Ivan Vladislavovich occupies a fundamental place in Russian architecture. Over his long life, diverse in events and impressions, he managed to erect many noble estates, industrial buildings and large-panel houses. As you can see, the talent of the architect was truly versatile, professional and virtuoso.
What is the secret to its success and flexibility? How was this talented master able to achieve universal recognition and popularity at the turn of the two empires? What is remarkable for his work for our modern generation? Let's find out.
Ordinary childhood
The biography of Ivan Zholtovsky dates back to 1867, when a son was born in the family of a poor landowner of the Catholic religion. This bright event took place in late autumn, in the small Belarusian village of Pinsk, famous for its shipyards.
The young heir-landowner from early childhood loved to draw and devoted a lot of time and effort to this occupation. He well grasped the shapes and volumes of objects, miraculously conveying them on paper.
True to his abilities, the young Ivan Zholtovsky immediately after completing his studies at the gymnasium (which, incidentally, he graduated with a gold medal), moved to Petersburg and entered the Academy of Arts. At that time, young talent was twenty years old.
Learning principle
Studying at the Academy was completed eleven years later. Why did it last so long? The fact is that the parents of the young student could not keep him in the capital, so the young Ivan himself had to earn his own food by participating in various designs and constructions. By the way, such a practice did not completely drown out the extraordinary architectural talent of the Belarusian, but, on the contrary, strengthened it, developed and improved it.
Thanks to the acquired practical skills, the novice architect Zholtovsky was able to learn the construction from the inside, get acquainted with all the subtleties of creative work, see in action what he knew until then only on paper. Now, with the further construction and erection of buildings, the young man could use the knowledge gained and create his own projects, relying on all kinds of details and particular construction matters. And it did not go unnoticed.
First work
The early works of Ivan Vladislavovich Zholtovsky were sketches of a tenement house, a variety of industrial structures and railway stations, the reconstruction and decoration of the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg, the projects of monuments to the homeopath Hahnemann and the architect Ton.
All the creations of the aspiring architect, still undergoing training at the Academy, were distinguished by deep penetration, seriousness of execution and unprecedented creative skill. For some of them, he received distinctive letters and incentive prizes.
Educational activities
After completing his studies, Zholtovsky moved to Moscow, where he was offered the position of a teacher at the Stroganov Art School.
In the process of teaching, Ivan Vladislavovich encouraged his students not just to draw on paper, but to delve into all the intricacies of the construction business, starting with laying the foundation and ending with stucco work. He believed that only practice and scrupulous deepening in details would bring up a real, skilled architect.
However, the teaching work did not distract the architect from his true vocation. He was actively involved in urban planning.
Early work in Moscow
One of the first buildings erected by the architect Zholtovsky in the capital was the Skakov Society House.
The initial construction plan was developed in accordance with the requirements in the Gothic style. However, during the construction process, the young architect changed his own project and erected a stunningly spectacular building, in which he brightly and uniquely combined the style of the Russian Empire with the Italian Renaissance. The house harmoniously contained so different premises for the purpose as stables, restaurants, office rooms, multi-tiered stands and the hippodrome itself.
Other outstanding projects of Ivan Vladislavovich were elegant mansions erected on Vvedenskaya Square and in Dead Lane, as well as industrial and public buildings built for the Konovalov factory in the village of Bonyachki.
For his considerable contribution to the construction business of the capital, the architect Zholtovsky was awarded the title of academician.
Italian style
The creative work of the architect Zholtovsky was greatly influenced by his acquaintance with classical architecture, a model of which the Russian architect considered the Italian Andrea Palladio.
Imitating him, he created many beautiful and delightful structures, which were based not only on Palladian motifs, but also his own research and interpretation. One of these buildings is the Tarasov house, built in 1910.
At first glance, the mansion seems to be an exact copy of the Palazzo Thienne in Venice, built several centuries ago by Palladio. However, it is not.
Ivan Vladislavovich presented his work in a different way: the house of Tarasov, in contrast to the medieval mansion, is airy and weightless. Its proportions are not weighted to the top, but lightened. They harmoniously combine with the ideas and requirements of the time.
Passion for the Renaissance was reflected in almost all the works of Zholtovsky. Over his life he has visited Italy more than twenty times, where he observed and explored many of the monuments of architecture he loved. Thanks to his many sketches, measurements and watercolors, the Russian architect was able to develop and improve the classical style, creating his own, modernized style.
Revolution and emigration
The architect Zholtovsky reacted calmly to the events of 1917. He continued to create his masterpieces, was introduced to Lenin, several times discussed with him the issues of reconstruction and construction, was engaged in teaching activities.
At the age of forty-six, Ivan Vladislavovich left for Italy, as they said, on special assignment. However, most likely, this trip was an attempt of emigration, which lasted only three years. Then the architect returned. At home, his blueprints and designs were still in demand and desired.
The first work in the Union
Immediately upon his return, Zholtovsky was entrusted with three important projects. He is rebuilding the State Bank on Neglinnaya (which uses order facades and pilasters in the design), building a MOGES boiler room (built in the style of the avant-garde, with glass facade walls) and the Government House in the Republic of Makhachkala (which embodied the classic ideas of the Renaissance along with medieval Muslim motifs).
Housing estates
The subsequent projects of Ivan Vladislavovich were residential buildings. The architect Zholtovsky, creating real housing estates, introduced elegant elements of the Venetian palaces into them. A striking example of this is the seven-story building on Mokhovaya Street.
The house is decorated with a semi-colonnade of eight units, decorated with capitals and feet. The upper two floors are planned in the form of a detached entablature and end with a cornice projecting forward.
The design of rooms in the building was presented in an interesting and multifaceted way - the ceilings were decorated with decorative murals, and each door had its own pattern.
Among other apartment buildings built by Zholtovsky, residential buildings on Bolshaya Kaluga and Smolenskaya squares stand out, the layout of housing estates in Sochi is also the work of the architect.
Reconstruction of the Moscow Hippodrome
The next task of the Soviet architect was the reconstruction of the building and stands of the Moscow Hippodrome, which suffered during the fire of 1949. The reconstruction lasted for five years, and that's what was achieved.
According to the anti-religious policy of that time, all mythological decorations in the form of pagan nymphs and goddesses were removed from the external facade of the building. There are only sculptures that carry a zoological and sports idea.
Other innovations in the design of the hippodrome were a massive colonnade, as well as various stucco moldings of Soviet and horse themes.
Public buildings
Among the other public and urban buildings of Ivan Vladislavovich, the “Slava” cinema, which was opened in 1958, a year before the architect’s death, stands out especially.
In a beautifully decorated building with a height of three floors and a capacity of about nine hundred people, there were two auditoriums. The four columns of the Slava cinema, connected in pairs, ended with a triangular pediment with a carved arch, which was effectively emphasized by the through relief.
End of life
As we see, Ivan Vladislavovich Zholtovsky worked until his death, which overtook him in the ninety-second year of his life. The latest works of the unsurpassed master were the House of the Supreme Economic Council and the building of the State Academy named after Stroganov, as well as the Libyan sanatorium “Gorny” (Crimea), designed by a talented architect after his death.
