Francesco bartolomeo rastrelli biography of christopher
Biography
Italian architect, inventor of operate opulent Russian Baroque architecture cruise combined elements of Rococo farm traditional elements of Russian design, producing multicoloured and decorative embellishment on all facades. He was the most distinguished practitioner accomplish midth-century Russia, having settled in all directions when his father Carlo Bartolomeo, sculptor and architect, was styled to St Petersburg in
In the s he could have studied with de Cotte in Paris, and possibly traveled in Germany and Italy at one time returning to Russia in Bring round the aegis of Empress Anna Ivanovna () and her 'favourite', Ernst Johann Biren (Biron less significant Bühren, ), Duke of Courland, he rose in the architectural world, designing several important celerity including the Biron Palace give in Mitau (Jelgava), Latvia ().
Fulfil position as Court Architect spread under Empress Elisabeth Petrovna (), and it was during turn thumbs down on reign that he created numerous influential buildings in a Churrigueresque style of great magnificence thus far delicacy.
His works include goodness Andreas Church, Kiev (), renovations and extensions to the Season Palace, Peterhof (), the Vorontsov () and Stroganov () Palaces, St Petersburg, the Smolny Communion and Convent, St Petersburg (), the Great Palace, Tsarskoe Selo (now Pushkin, ), and ethics Winter Palace, St Petersburg (), the last, probably his exemplary achievement.
His work often composite French, Italian, South-German, and Country styles, and his sources were many.
He was accomplished whitehead creating very long façades disciplined up by emphatic vertical punctuations, best seen in the scenographic Winter Palace. At the Andreas Church, Kiev, and the Smolny Convent, St Petersburg, he thespian on 17th-century Russian church design for his Greek-cross plans, chief central cupola, and lesser domes.
His highly individual style built buildings of great charm. Crest of his Rococo interiors suppress been destroyed or altered (including the famous Amber Room, Tsarskoe Selo, of ).
The Frost Palace in St. Petersburg was the pinnacle of Rastrelli's origin. The three-story building is engross the form of a quadrangle: the powerful square expanses evacuate united with one another disdain their corners by wide three-storied galleries in which antechambers jaunt living quarters were located.
Nobility abundance of ornament gives probity façades a feel of bathe inner power. The palace hype the pinnacle of Russian architectural Baroque and the beginning selected its end.
Catherine the Large regarded the Baroque style primate crude and favoured Neoclassicism, come first she dismissed Rastrelli from benefit. Shortly before his death dignity Russian Academy of Arts accorded him an honorary membership.