SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

erected, but the building sector regained its power in 1909 and remained strong
until the end of the period that is considered here. Many wood buildings were put
up, but toward the end of the period, they, too, gave way to a greater number of
stone buildings. Mortgage lending became common, which allowed quite a lot of
representatives of the middle classes to become building owners. Interests in
Rīga’s society tended to be quite practical, and people’s ability to become educated
in the arts or to visit collections of artworks in public buildings really only began to
improve in the early years of the 20 th century. That did, however, not mean that
there was no exchange of artistic information at all. This is of key importance in
terms of the subject of this dissertation, because it is a fact that the first signs of Art
Nouveau began to appear in architecture in Rīga during the latter years of the 19 th
century. Still, attitudes in the city toward the manifestations of the new style
remained reserved until as late as 1902.
The construction of multi-story stone buildings in suburban areas did not
always create a harmonic overall impression. On the contrary, in terms of the size
of the buildings and the artistic techniques that were chosen, they were often
dissonant in comparison with buildings that were alongside them. This helps to
explain the harsh criticisms that were levelled against the new buildings in the
press of the day.
There was more plastic décor on the façades of buildings put up during
the early Art Nouveau period than had been the case in the latter half of the 19 th
century, but the décor was far more often based on purely architectonic elements
that were typical in the architectural style of Historicism (pediments, bands of
battlements, lintels, pilasters, etc.). The rustication was one of the most popular
elements for façade décor, and it was used extensively throughout the later period
of Art Nouveau. The décor of facades resembled a screen on which images were
displayed. Indeed, the décor on the façade which fronted the street (two façades if
the building was on a corner) was meant as the primary indicator of the building’s
style. In some cases, décor was also used for advertising purposes, particularly if
the owner of the building had a shop or company therein. Many buildings had
plastic décor on the façade that involved few elements. The stylistic solutions were
in line with traditional neo-styles, and particularly Neo-Renaissance décor –
festoons, garlands of flowers or fruits, acanthus, ivies, or other stylised ornaments
harkening back to such neo-styles as Neo-Gothic. There were also
anthropomorphic motifs. All of them create the impression of mass production.
During the early period of Art Nouveau, many buildings had roof cornices that
were decorated with cement balustrades or with acroteria made of analogue
materials and arranged on buildings in a rhythmic fashion. These were usually
imitations of vases from the period of the Renaissance. Few of these elements
have survived to the present day.
Early in the period of Art Nouveau, the plastic solution of some elements
was very detailed, with tiny forms that were quite emphatic. Their placement on
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