SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

manifestation thereof (asymmetrically curved biological forms, the rhythm of lines,
etc.). Irrespective of the aforementioned Neo-Romantic comparisons, it is clear
that the theoretically pure language of the forms of National Romanticism is quite
different, as can be seen in the aforementioned generalisations about the style. The
style of an individual object can involve a co-existence and overlapping of
different elements. This was often true in the décor of façades, with architects
drawing on individual techniques from National Romanticism and then
supplementing these with motifs that were typical of the iconography of Art
Nouveau. The décor of several buildings illustrates a synthesis between motifs
created by imagination and seemingly based in vernacular tradition on the one
hand and Art Nouveau ornaments on the other. This is true at Alberta Street 11,
Miera Street 27 and Brīvības Street 62, all of which were designed by the architect
Eižens Laube in 1908. There was no search for stylistic purity, and mergers of the
decorative elements of Art Nouveau, National Romanticism, and Domestic Revival
were quite typical for several buildings which Konstantīns Pēkšēns designed in
1907 and 1908 – the bank and residential building at Brīvības Street 46 (1907), and
the Pārups residential building at Vīlandes Street 10 (1908), for instance.
The rental and shop building designed for the craftsman Kārlis Ratniks at
Maskavas Street 62 (Oskars Bārs, 1910) has an original décor, but a craftsmanlike
appearance. This sends a message of National Romanticism along with ideas
about a national awakening that were typical of the age. In terms of style, the
building presents a unification of Neo-Classicism and Art Nouveau. The merger of
Art Nouveau and National Romanticism in an analogous and craftsmanlike design
can be seen in reliefs on the building at Miera Street 45 (Rudolph Dohnberg,
1908). The conditional nature of the figures and the contrasts in size are more
reminiscent of Art Nouveau, while the allegorical message and the didactically
patriarchal theme are, to some extent, linkable to National Romanticism and Neo-
Classicism.
VII.3. The late period of Art Nouveau and the décor of Neo-Classicism
Early in the 20 th century, there were an increasing number of motifs in the
decorative sculpture of buildings in Rīga which could be classified as belonging to
the style of Neo-Classicism. In looking at the relationship between Art Nouveau
and Neo-Classicist décor, we must note that as is the case with National
Romanticism, there must first be a look at the overall interpretations of the two
styles.
The golden age of Neo-Classicism in European architecture was around
the year 1910, but its origins date back to the turn of the centuries. During the
beginning of the 20 th century, Neo-Classicism was seen as the second most
important style alongside Art Nouveau. Both styles were aimed at overcoming
Historicism, but with different techniques. By 1905, Neo-Classicism was very
popular in the architecture of Latvia’s baronial estates, while in the ornamental
aspects of architecture in Rīga, some elements of the style could be seen even in
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