Features of the Development of the Neo-Moorish Style on the Example of Russia and France

Abstract

A comparative analysis of the formation and development of the Neo-Moorish style in the architecture and interiors of France and Russia in the 19th century is presented in the article. How did the interest in studying the architecture of medieval Moors form in these countries? What are the main differences and similarities in the development of the Neo-Moorish style in Russia and France? In the 19th century, the first manifestations of the oriental theme appeared to a large extent owing to the work of writers and artists. The mysterious world of the East became a rich source of new plots, palette, exotic customs, and architectural forms. In parallel with literature and painting, the oriental theme was developing in architecture and interior design, and it would later flourish in copying the Moorish style. Among the monuments of medieval Moors, the Alhambra Palace, built in the Emirate of Granada in the period from the 13th to the 15th centuries, became an architectural model for European architects. The French world exhibitions, on which architectural and historical pavilions were exhibited, were a significant source of the proliferation of the Neo-Moorish style in Europe. Russian architects such as Paul Notbek and Carl Rachau also made a significant contribution to the study of the Alhambra. Recognized both in Russia and in Europe, the results of their work allowed St. Petersburg architects to have original samples of Moorish architecture and to develop this style in many St. Petersburg interiors with a high degree of skill of their work during the peak of historicism development. In the second half of the 19th century, the Moorish style spread throughout Europe and became an international historical oriental style. In each country, borrowings showed their own characteristics and developmental features due to cultural, political, and geographical influence. In France, the Moorish style was actively borrowed not only for interior decoration but also in the construction of public and commercial buildings such as casinos, cafes, thermal stations. In Russia, the Moorish style was used mainly in palaces and mansions of the highest nobility and the bourgeoisie. In France, the Mauresque style took on various forms and had different sources, whereas in Russia it referred mainly to the historical examples of the Alhambra. Thus, France and Russia participated in the pan-European trend of the Neo-Moorish style; however, each country has developed its own variation of this oriental style of the period of historicism.