SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

4) To determine the range of influences in elements of décor, to define
specific sources of information, and to use comparative materials to seek out
analogues which make it possible to give concrete expression to the regional
specifics of the materials;
5) To conduct iconographic and stylistic analysis of the décor, also
focusing on links between the client and the type of décor that was used;
6) To produce a clearer sense of the relationship between Art Nouveau
and other streams of style, including the tradition of Historicism, the style of
National Romanticism, the Domestic Revival (Heimatstil) and Neo-Classicism 1 .
I.3. The thematic boundaries and terminology of the research
The thematic boundaries of the study include decorative sculpture and
paintings on the façades and interiors of buildings. The sculptures and paintings
are ornamental (abstract, floral, zoomorphic or anthropomorphic ornaments), as
well as figural. They were created with the help of all of the techniques that were
available at that time, including stencilled designs which most clearly represent the
décor of that era as mass production. The author has not stopped at attributing the
decorative processes of buildings or at dealing with formal, stylistic and
iconographic issues. The dissertation also covers more extensive aspects of
architecture and art at the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries, as well as emphasis on
regional specifics in this regard.
In terms of terminology, the author has chosen in the Latvian language
version of the dissertation to use the stable concept jūgendstils, not Art Nouveau,
which is the term used in the general literature of the field. The new styles of the
19 th century are described with the concept of Historicism, which has been
enshrined in Latvian art history and has also been accepted in the literature which
is in English and German (Historismus in the latter case).
The concept of décor applies to plastic (three-dimensional and relief-type)
and pictorial (two-dimensional) decorations of buildings, as created with various
materials. Plastic and pictorial décor are reviewed in tandem with other elements
of décor and architecture. This applies to plastics and ornaments, but not to
architectonic décor as such.
I.4. Research materials and methodologies
The central focus in the dissertation is plastic and pictorial décor used in
the architecture of Rīga during the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries. The author
has chosen the elements of focus on the basis of the aforementioned terminological
considerations. Buildings were inspected on site, and there was a study of
1 In Latvian art history (similar to German art history) the term Neo-Classicism
designates the Classical Revival of the 20th century.
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