Art Elements of Saint Basil's Cathedral
One of the buildings I have yet to see is Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.
I always thought that it was a very unique design compared to other famous cathedrals. What really caught my eye was the shape of the building. The way the tower peaks are shaped makes me think of a very different place other than Russia. It sort of reminds me of the palace in the Disney movie Aladdin. The form of the toppers on the towers I find very reminiscent. I have a feeling that the film took inspiration. The grandeur of the building is also quite impressive. It was built from 1555-61 and was the tallest building until 1600 when the Ivan the Great Bell Tower. To create such a unique shape, with the mass of the building taken into account, is a truly incredible feat.
Something that makes this cathedral memorable is the color choice. It is not common for cathedrals to be so vibrant when it comes to the color of the building. Although the building is famous for its vivid color pallet, it was not added until 200 years after its construction. It was thought to have originally been painted white with gold domes atop the towers. The painting of the outside was inspired by a passage in the Book Of Revelation, which describes the heavenly city. I often think the amount of color put into the building gives off the illusion of luxury. Colorful paint is expensive; painting an entire building would cost a lot of money.
Texture comes to my mind immediately when I see this building. My eye is immediately drawn to the tops of the towers and the different ways texture was used to create them. The texture of the building is not uniform and is different throughout the construction. Although the towers differ in design, some repeating patterns are still unique. One thing that comes to mind when I look at the building, is its otherworldly appearance. The way some of the towers are sharp and jagged, while others are smooth creates a certain type of conflict within the piece. Even the swirls between the two towers are moving in opposite directions. The toppers that have similar patterns have some element that distinguishes them from the others. For example, if there are similar textures, the colors will be different.
I find this whole building fascinating and beautiful. I hope to one day visit this fantastic cathedral.
Cole, Margherita. “5 Fascinating Facts about Saint Basil's Cathedral, the Cultural Gem of Moscow.” My Modern Met, 25 Aug. 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/st-basils-cathedral-facts/#:~:text=It%20was%20only%20in%20the,which%20describes%20the%20Heavenly%20City.
“Saint Basil's Cathedral - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/saint-basil-s-cathedral/m014lft?categoryId=place.
This cathedral is stunning! I totally agree that the textures and colors really are hypnotizing, it makes me wonder how long it took to build it since adding all the specific shapes and colors would be quite time consuming. It somewhat reminds me of the fair or a circus because of how loud it is, I absolutely love it though!
ReplyDeleteHello Clara,
ReplyDeleteThe unique characteristics of each dome was one of the first things that caught my eye. Every one of the towers has a different aspect that stands out to make it just as beautiful as the one next to it. Are there any meanings to the individual patterns to each of them?
Hi Clara, great work on your blog post. I must say, I really like the cathedral's design. The unique patterns on the domes are very exquisite. I definitely have to agree that the design kind of reminds you of the palace from Disney's Aladdin. This definitely is a cathedral worth visiting. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSo neat! I absolutely love the design of this cathedral. Before I read your post I also noticed how unique the texture is of each tower. One of my favorite details is the different shapes of windows used, yet it doesn't look random at all and is still cohesive. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis cathedral is so cool! I love how each of the towers have their own unique texture, and design. I also found it really interesting that they would chose to paint the cathedral after it had been up for 200 years. I would love to go see this cathedral in person one day. I also wonder why they chose to paint the cathedral such bright and loud colors. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love this cathedral so much! I feel it has a timeless design, which made me surprised to learn that it was constructed so long ago. the colors amaze me and I love the way that everything looks, as Alexia stated, so random yet so cohesive. Each tower is different in many ways, yet the similar color scheme and shape bring it all together so nicely. the texture seems absolutely amazing. Each of the large domes at the tops of the towers look amazing and I want to touch them. They almost look like food. I could stare at this building for hours and not get bored. There are so many details! Thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteClara,
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing choice of architecture to do a blog post on. The Saint Basil Cathedral's architectural design is simply iconic, such that it automatically gives the art appraiser a connection to all-things Russia. As you mentioned, the tower designs of the Cathedral do in fact resemble "Aladdin-Style" art from the fictional film Disney, Aladdin. That being said, it's hard to compare any other structure around the world whose tower domes set them apart from much of the world's main landmarks. The cathedral's design is certainly one of the more appealing things associated with Russian culture. I believe that the structural design along with the blend of multiple colors on the towers give a resemblance of the Renaissance, in the sense that colors and religion are what breathes life into the structure. The uniqueness of the Cathedral's design allows us to visual some of the patterned material that we've become familiar with in our daily lives, marbled floors, decorated quilts, glazed donut crullers, & ice cream swirls.