SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

Morris and other artists in the movement of Arts and Crafts was of importance.
Wallpaper and textiles designed by those artists were sold all over Europe, and
there is no reason to believe that Rīga was any exception. At the beginning of the
20 th century, in Teātra Boulevard, there was a textile store and warehouse which
was owned by A. Ukonyin from Moscow. It offered samples of wallpaper from
“the factories of Germany, France and England.” Nearby there were three shops
which sold the products of the era’s leading producer of wallpaper, W. Puls & Co.
Interestingly, right alongside the Ukonyin store was the School of Crafts of the
Rīga Association of Craftsmen. Nearby, in Vaļņu Street, were the workshops of
several decorative painters. Apart from purely topographic considerations, this
may indicate another confirmation of contacts related to visual information. In the
early 20 th century, stencilled ornaments in many Rīga interiors were based on the
textiles and wallpapers of artists from the Arts and Crafts movement. These
offered typical stylisation of natural motifs.
When it comes to the use of natural motifs on the façades of buildings,
specific types of flora (including the textbook symbols of Art Nouveau – lilies,
roses, poppies, water-lilies, sunflowers, etc.) were mostly used in the early period
of Art Nouveau. Later the motifs became less specific, although the concrete
motifs reappeared episodically when the popularity of engraved ornaments
increased in the later period of Art Nouveau. Also popular from the world of flora
was the tree. Trees in the décor of buildings in Rīga were usually generalised
symbols, and specific species of tree can be found quite seldom. All in all, the
types of trees used most often for décor included the chestnut, the oak and, in some
cases, the pine. Often leaves, needles and cones from the various kinds of trees
were used in stylised form. Other elements in décor were traditional motifs such as
ivies, palm branches and crowns of laurel. Roses were also used in depictions of
crowns.
In terms of fauna, the most popular motifs in Rīga during the early period
of Art Nouveau included the snake, as well as various birds. The symbol of Art
Nouveau was the stylised peacock, while the swan was more popular in interior
décor. The owl was used very commonly in the décor of buildings in Rīga,
doubtless because of the wisdom that is attributed to the bird. Also popular was
the eagle as a traditional symbol in heraldry. Indeed, the animal kingdom was
often represented in the décor of buildings of Rīga in terms of animals which were
used in heraldry and were well tested and traditional as symbols – lions, bears and
dogs were popular as symbolic protectors of buildings. In some cases, other
animals (cats, squirrels, monkeys, etc.) were used in décor, as well.
Stylised presentation of the motif of the sun was popular, and the
iconographic meaning of this type of décor can be interpreted in different ways.
Around the turn of the centuries, the symbol of the sun could be seen as a
representation of a new and flourishing century and era. It could also be seen as a
typical example of Art Nouveau praise for the organic world.
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