- Born:
- 1700, Paris, France
- Died:
- April 1771, St. Petersburg, Russia (aged 71)
- Movement / Style:
- Baroque art and architecture
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli
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Who was Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (1700–1771) was a French-born architect of Italian descent who invented an opulent brand of Russian Baroque architecture. His style combined elements of Rococo with traditional Russian architecture, featuring multicolored and decorative ornamentation on facades.
Rastrelli moved to St. Petersburg in 1716 and became known for his rich imagination, constructing numerous palaces and cathedrals for Russia’s rulers, especially Empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I. His notable works include the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and the Catherine Palace in Pushkin. Catherine the Great, however, favored Neoclassicism and dismissed Rastrelli.
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What country did Rastrelli mainly work in as an architect?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, a French-born architect of Italian descent, is known for his opulent Russian Baroque architecture. Rastrelli moved to St. Petersburg in 1716 and spent about 50 years erecting palaces and cathedrals for Russia’s rulers and members of the imperial court, particularly Empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I. Some of his creations include the Winter and Summer Annenhof palaces in Moscow, Peterhof Palace, the Grand Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin Palace), the Smolny Monastery, and the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
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What architectural style is Rastrelli most famous for?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli is most famous for inventing an opulent style of Russian Baroque architecture that combined elements of Rococo with traditional Russian elements. This style is known for its multicoloured and decorative ornamentation on all facades.
Rastrelli's notable works include the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, and the Grand Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin). Catherine the Great, however, dismissed Rastrelli because she regarded the Baroque style as crude and instead favored Neoclassicism.
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What are some famous buildings designed by Rastrelli?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, a French-born architect of Italian descent, is known for his opulent Russian Baroque architecture. Some of his famous buildings include:
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Peterhof Palace: A reconstruction of the palace that extends nearly 1,000 feet along the seashore with numerous fountains.
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Grand Palace in Tsarskoye Selo: Rastrelli rebuilt this palace (now called Pushkin Palace), which is noted for its colorful ornamentation.
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Smolny Monastery: A large monastic complex on the outskirts of St. Petersburg with a grand five-domed cathedral in the center.
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Winter Palace: A three-story building in St. Petersburg with surging inner power.
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How did Rastrelli's designs reflect the tastes of Russian royalty?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli's designs mirrored the Russian royalty's penchant for opulent luxury, particularly during the reigns of Empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I. His style, a blend of Rococo and Russian architectural traditions, featured multicoloured facades and decorative ornamentation.
Rastrelli erected numerous palaces and cathedrals, including the Winter and Summer Annenhof palaces for Anna I and the Smolny Monastery for Empress Elizabeth. His work on the Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo palaces showcased his elaborate style and the imperial court's taste for grandeur. Catherine the Great, however, favoured Neoclassicism and dismissed Rastrelli, marking the end of his influence.
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What lasting impact did Rastrelli have on architecture in Russia and Europe?
Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli, a French-born architect, left a lasting impact on Russian architecture by creating an opulent Russian Baroque style that fused Rococo elements with traditional Russian architectural features.
Rastrelli's signature style, characterized by multicoloured and decorative ornamentation on facades, was particularly favoured by Empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I, for whom he constructed numerous palaces and cathedrals. His most notable works include the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the Grand Palace in Peterhof, and the Smolny Monastery. Rastrelli's work left a lasting mark on the region's architectural landscape, even though his career waned with the rise of Neoclassicism under Catherine the Great.
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Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (born 1700, Paris, France—died April 1771, St. Petersburg, Russia) was a French-born inventor of an opulent Russian Baroque architecture that combined elements of Rococo with traditional elements of Russian architecture, producing multicoloured and decorative ornamentation on all facades.
Of Italian descent, Rastrelli moved to St. Petersburg in 1716 with his father, the sculptor Bartolomeo Carlo Rastrelli. During his first five years in Russia, he worked with his father decorating the interiors of the palaces of the Russian aristocracy. From 1721 he worked independently as an architect, and he immediately made a name for himself as a master with a rich imagination.
Over a period of 50 years Rastrelli erected a great number of palaces for Russia’s rulers and members of the imperial court. He was in special favour with the empresses Anna I and Elizabeth I, who were partial to opulent luxury. For Anna he built two palaces in Moscow (the Winter and Summer Annenhof palaces; neither has survived), the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (eventually destroyed by a fire, but later restored by a different architect), and, for her favourite, Count Ernst Johann Biron, two palaces in Latvia. The empress, pleased with Rastrelli’s work, conferred upon him the title of chief court architect.
During the 20-year reign of Elizabeth (1741–61), Rastrelli built 12 palaces and a number of cathedrals for her. With her permission he also built elaborate homes for her courtiers. (In St. Petersburg the Stroganov and Vorontsov palaces have survived.)
From 1747 to 1752 Rastrelli worked on a reconstruction of the palace of Peterhof. The three-story building stretches nearly 1,000 feet (some 300 metres). Situated on the seashore and surrounded by a great number of fountains, the palace—in the words of the director and painter Alexandre Benois—gave the impression of being the “Residence of the Sea King.”
From 1749 to 1756 Rastrelli rebuilt the Bolshoi Dvorets (Grand Palace) in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin) and erected a series of pavilions in its park. The Tsarskoye Selo Palace (now called the Pushkin Palace) is some 1,000 feet long, noteworthy for the ornamentation of its facades and interiors and the wealth of its plasticity and colour. The French ambassador, viewing the palace on the day of its inauguration, commented, “There is only one thing missing here: a suitable case to house a jewel of such magnificence.”
In 1748 at the behest of the empress, who—though partial to the joys of life, was also very religious—wanted in her old age to become a nun, Rastrelli began building the Smolny Monastery on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. A large two-story square of monastic cells surrounds a massive inner courtyard, in the centre of which stands a grand five-domed cathedral. The structure’s abundant ornamentation makes it appear to have been chiseled out of a single chunk of stone.
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The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg (1754–62) was the pinnacle of Rastrelli’s creation. The three-story building is in the form of a quadrangle: the powerful square expanses are united with one another at their corners by wide three-storied galleries in which antechambers and living quarters were located. The abundance of ornament gives the facades a feel of surging inner power. The palace is the pinnacle of Russian architectural Baroque and the beginning of its end.
Catherine the Great regarded the Baroque style as crude and favoured Neoclassicism, and she dismissed Rastrelli from service. Shortly before his death the Russian Academy of Arts accorded him an honorary membership.