SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

VIII. CONCLUSION
The author of this dissertation has studied a wide range of factual
materials which speak to the criteria that were used in selecting decorative motifs
in the architecture of the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries. Thus she has expanded
her knowledge about the architectonic and social prerequisites for the emergence
of plastic and painted décor in architecture during that period, as well as about the
sources of inspiration for such décor. The comparative and analogous materials
make it possible to determine the regional specifics of décor. The author has
managed to supplement information about those who produced architectural décor
in Rīga during the relevant period of time. The dissertation offers analysis of Art
Nouveau as a paradigm of the processes of the arts at the turn of the centuries, also
considering the issue of the genesis of Art Nouveau in Rīga. There is also offered
a more precise evaluation of the relationship between Art Nouveau and other
styles, including the traditions of Historicism, National Romanticism, Domestic
Revival and Neo-Classicism. The research makes possible the following general
conclusions:
• At the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries, the specific situation in
Rīga, as opposed to many other large cities at that time, was created by the fact that
it was part of the Russian Empire and of the relevant zone of interests. There were
also tensions related to nationalism which resulted to the traditional privileges
which Baltic Germans enjoyed in Latvia. The early 20 th century, however, was
also a period in which Latvian national culture began to flourish. The increased
volume of construction in the last two years of the 19 th century and the search for
uniqueness – this promoted a search for new decorative techniques. Around 1898,
there was also a gradual approach toward Art Nouveau. Still, the active
construction of multi-story stone buildings harmonised the overall visual
appearance of the city only gradually. In some streets, this was facilitated by the
fact that a single architect designed more than one building, but it was also
promoted, in part, by the further development of decorative motifs.
• One specific aspect of architecture in Rīga during the relevant period
of time is a high level of overall professionalism, but the development of
architecture here was not dictated by one or several leaders. There was the element
of traditionalism, which denigrated the situation somewhat because of increased
interest in the so-called Domestic Revival. Initially, and perhaps because of artistic
inertia, there was a focus on classical motifs and a regional approach to Classicism
– so-called Burgher Classicism. This appeared in building décor around the turn of
the century and became particularly active during the late period of Art Nouveau,
around the year 1907. The avoidance of radical solutions was particularly evident
in the architecture of public buildings, as well as in the buildings owned privately
by architects, where there was no conflict of interest between the client and the
designer.
101