Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, four times Stalin Prize winner Alexei Viktorovich Shchusev - an architect and a great creator, an excellent theoretician and no less remarkable architect, whose work is the pride of the country, will be the hero of this article. Here, his work, as well as his life path, are examined in detail.
Architecture as a life process
Shchusev, an architect, though to the last cell of the Soviet organism, but at the same time, as they say, an architect from God. He constantly convinced his colleagues with all his work that artistic principles always prevail in architecture over the most daring constructions, since they are closely connected with life in all its manifestations, and life does not end up being inexpedient. "There are no frozen forms, and architecture is the best able to confirm this, " said Schusev. The architect lived in it, seeking, constantly trying new things, never completely satisfied with the result, finding satisfaction only in knowledge. Starting from Vitruvius, each architect sought to create his own theory of this art, and by the beginning of the twentieth century, a great many had accumulated - the most diverse in categoricality and in the breadth of their positions, with various goals and principles that explain or justify, guide or limit itself architectural creativity.
It is on the basis of all these theories adopted by the most prominent architects that creative directions and schools are being formed. Unlike the more ambitious colleagues, Shchusev (a very famous architect) never aspired to become the founder of anything, did not put forward theories, did not create schools. This was done by his followers, who studied its true significance in the history of both Russian and Soviet architecture, which was determined by the structures and buildings created by him. Of course, he spoke out and theorized, because many, many, and many others were interested in his understanding of architecture, taste and talent. And these statements stand quite on par with the painstaking research that other masters have built in the silence of cabinets for decades. Now, in every possible way, those grains of ingenious knowledge that were once accidentally dropped by Alexei Shchusev, an architect, are searched through archives and memoirs.
Mausoleum
His works are imbued with both simplicity and wisdom, and absolutely complete knowledge of the purely handicraft side of large architecture. They contain life experience, common sense, intuition and a huge investment of a purely human feeling. That is what allowed him to always fill his brainchildren with the main social idea. Applying the prevailing, even seemingly common forms, the architect A. Shchusev confidently created completely individual images. Whether it was a historical national style, classical or modern, he did not get abstract logical calculations, but artistic unity, fused with the aesthetic sense of architecture, sculpture and painting. That is one of his most remarkable creations - the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow, on Red Square, created in 1926-1930. The pyramidal step volume, the groups of rectangular pillars that carry the top plate - all this is not new in architecture.
However, the Mausoleum magically acquired power, originality, innovative features, exceptional expressiveness of all proportions, and most importantly - absolute connection with the purpose of this building, cohesion in the ensemble with other architectural elements of the square. All this made this building the main symbol of its time. All decided proportions. The architect A. Shchusev calculated the height and thickness of the slabs, either growing or shrinking, so that the mourning horizons form a vertical full of energy, and the mournful isolation and compactness of the lower chamber — the sarcophagus fences — suddenly turn into the expanse of stairs and stands, where freedom triumphs, wind and light. It is due to this ingenious find that the mourning majesty of the Mausoleum is transformed into the festivity and joy of victorious demonstrations. Currently, repairs and reconstruction are being carried out in the Kremlin, the Mausoleum was therefore closed at the last parades. People are already bored and writes a lot about it on the Internet. Indeed, the entire architect Shchusev is visible in this building, whose work carries a high spiritual content, a set of great social ideas.
Biography
Schusev met the October Revolution, already being an academician, a recognized architect with fifteen years of practice. In 1910, he was already honored for an exceptionally successful result with the most original methods of restoration of the church of the twelfth century in the city of Ovruch (Volhynia). And he was born in 1873, in Chisinau, the third child in a poor family of a retired official. Drawing abilities appeared very early, and it was almost impossible to tear the boy away from this lesson. From the age of eleven, he began to study with L.N. Benois, in the workshop of which everyone received the most thorough professional training. Regarding mentors, the future architect Shchusev, whose work delight in high professionalism, was surprisingly lucky.
The canons of Russian classics and national heritage, for example, were taught by Professor Kotov, whose credo was that it was unacceptable to blindly copy historical monuments of architecture, it was necessary to expose Russian antiquity to modern understanding, and the pseudo-Russian style - squalor. Ancient Central Asian architecture made a great impression on the young man, especially Samarkand, where the aspiring architect Alexei Shchusev detailed and carefully measured the colorful monuments of Bibi-Khanym and Gur-Emir. This played a huge role in his future work. For example, the architect Kazan designed the Kazan station, relying on his Asian impressions.
First work
Shchusev graduated from the Academy in 1897, having received the highest mark for a graduation project with a Big Gold Medal and a business trip abroad. This was the “Manor House”, which allowed him to spend almost two years studying architecture of Vienna, Trieste, Venice and other cities of Belgium, Italy, Tunisia, France, England. Everywhere he made many sketches from which an exhibition report was compiled. I.E. Repin, having familiarized himself with these works, was delighted. Upon returning to his homeland and after presenting the report, Alexey Shchusev, an architect with no experience, received an interesting order immediately. It was an iconostasis in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra for the Assumption Cathedral, which had to be designed from scratch. The talented Schusev did an excellent job with this task, and it seemed that his work would now be constantly connected with religious buildings.
In June 1904, the Synod entrusted him with a more responsible and difficult task, he was sent to Ovruch, where he designed the whole winter on the ruins of a monument of the twelfth century. It turned out a beautiful five-domed church completely in the traditions of Russian classics, however, all the surviving details were included in the context so organically that the temple seemed to be one. The project was immediately recognized as one of the most beautiful phenomena of modern architecture. The press started talking about the fact that Shchusev created a new neo-Russian style. Glory came, but the architect Shchusev, whose biography is saturated with it to the brim, took this calmly to the end of his life and simply did not notice the glory.
Martha
In 1907, Shchusev designed the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery (community), all of its buildings. Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna sold her jewelry so that this charitable institution would appear, which was not a monastery, although the nuns-sisters of mercy also made vows comparable to monastic ones. However, over the years, they could leave without conflict with the church, create a family and live like lay people.
What was inspired by the famous architect Schusev, designing his Moscow “Martha” with unprecedented tenderness? Veliky Novgorod inspired him, Pskov monuments - this magnificent expanse of walls with volumes interconnected by harmony. This is very noticeable when compared. The large size of the buildings of the monastery looks cozy and homely. The plan of the temple looks like a massive antique key with a beard and an ear turned to the west, with all three petals facing east. Due to these semicircular apses, a feeling of coziness is created, since the main volume is hidden from the eyes, and a high drum topped with the pointed sphere of the dome completes the composition.
Kishinev
The first two-story house of architect Shchusev, Mikhail Karchevsky’s summer house, his classmate, and then the Dragoev’s house at the intersection of Pushkin and Kuznechnaya streets (now Bernardazzi) were built on Kerch Street (formerly Char Valley) of his native city. And in 1912 he erected a church in the village of Kuchureshty. All that was designed and built by the architect Shchusev, Orthodoxy necessarily concerned - to a greater or lesser extent, and this applies not only to religious buildings. Much later, Shchusev was entrusted with the general scheme for the reconstruction of dilapidated Chisinau after the Second World War. And in early youth, right after the brilliant defense of his graduation project, Shchusev spent several months here - an architect whose family has remained attached to this city for life. A few months of happiness: he not only designed a house for a classmate, but also married his sister, Maria Vikentievna Karchevskaya.
In the same place, in the Char Valley, in the Chisinau suburb, the personal life of the architect Shchusev began, which was reliably hidden from outsiders all the long years of his life. And now it’s almost impossible to find data in his biographies that are not related to architecture. Monument to Lenin his work in 1991 was dismantled. He also designed a new bridge on the Byk River, at that time it was very full-flowing, he also actively advised his colleagues on the development of reconstruction projects for many destroyed buildings - the station, shops, public buildings and other buildings. Chisinau honors the memory of its famous countryman: the street is named after him, in the house where he was born and grew up, there is a museum with his personal belongings, documents, photographs.
Fashion on Shchuseva
Immediately after the creation of the projects of Ovruch and the Martha monastery, fame went behind the architect on the heels. The rich hunted for him in the hope of building anything on their land, but in the fashionable Schusev style. However, he was interested in more interesting projects. In 1913, the pavilion of an art exhibition in Venice was built according to Shchusev’s drawings, the composition of which interpreted the national architecture of the seventeenth century. Moreover, in excellent combination with the picturesque Italian landscape. At the same time, in San Remo, according to the architect’s project, they built an Orthodox church decorated with stone carvings, tiles, and a bell tower with a tent roof. The Cathedral of Christ the Savior in San Remo is completely and completely designed in the Russian church style of the seventeenth century.
But the Kazan station was not immediately interested in him. However, all the works submitted to the competition were distinguished by their approximateness and schematism, and other prominent and experienced architects were not inspired, not only the fashionable Shchusev, an architect whose designs were original, talented, but still small in number. Nevertheless, his sketch of the future Kazan station was chosen, because there was confidence in the board that they would be able to interest the eastern gate of Moscow, not so long ago carried away by Samarkand Schusev. The board was not mistaken.
Kazan Station
The Moscow Gate to the East is one of the most professionally verified decisions of the architect from difficult tasks. Even the optimal color scheme has been found. And what a brilliant decision on the integrity of the ensemble in its purely geographical essence! In October 1911, Shchusev was approved as the chief architect of this construction, on which the sum was simply fabulous - three million royal gold rubles. Details of the project have been worked out by the author for more than two years - this has not happened to him yet. The search was painful - this "hole" on Kalanchevskaya Square was not filled in any way until Shchusev had a wonderful idea: to place the tallest building in the lowest place.
It was then that the ensemble of many buildings began to play with unity, read easily with one glance. The tower served as a real dominant, collecting all two hundred meters of structures under its wing. The success of this project was equal to the efforts to create it. The magazine "Architect", which posted it on its pages, was snapped up. Congratulations rained. And indeed: such a huge length of the station does not interfere with the holistic perception of the entire building, because symmetry is specially broken, and a lonely sharp tower helps to open up new combinations from anywhere in the square. So far, architects have not been able to manipulate chiaroscuro so freely, when not only the sun, but also the clouds enliven the stone patterns.
Versatility and style freedom
Shchusev did absolutely unconventionally with the Kazan station, it turned out to be a city building, and not as usual - a slightly enriched industrial or slightly simplified palace building. The functions of the station rooms are very heterogeneous, and this prompted the fact that the ingenious architect Shchusev designed it. The works, photos of which are presented in abundance, with the same broad, confident, free interpretation (albeit in large, even in small forms) demonstrate Shchusev as an architect, not only many-sided, but also in all inventiveness constant and true to his views. This is the building of the sanatorium in Matsest, and the Moskvoretsky bridge, and the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Opera House in Tashkent, and the Komsomolskaya station - the Moscow metro ring. The complex of buildings of the USSR Academy of Sciences is also resourcefully and at the same time canonically rigorously built - a typically Russian ensemble that combines diverse structures. Schusev also led a team of architects who re-planned Moscow.
It was to them, and Shchusev in particular, that drivers who slowly move in traffic jams should bring their thanks. Because if not for them, movement would not have been possible as such. The structure of the city was established, and almost no space was provided for transport anywhere, especially in its current quantity. Architects significantly expanded all the highways, especially the Leningradsky Prospekt, connected the routes with radial-ring lines with reference to the railway transport. This, it should be noted, happened immediately after the revolution and the Civil War - in 1919. The commission that approved the project reproached the architects for the inadvisability of such wide avenues and streets, but it was Shchusev who managed to convince the members of the government.
