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A change in Russian taste came again with
another powerful ruler. This time it was the energetic Catherine II, also known
as the Great. This former German princess ruled Russia from 1760 to 1796. She
was genuinely interested in the arts and took an active part in facilitating a
period of intensified architectural construction, which she characterized as a
"Binge." She invited foreign architects, offered them good salaries
and relied mainly on their talents and taste. What was called "Catherine's
style" was created by the foreigners, and it amounted to the introduction
of classical forms into Russian architecture, at the end of the 18th century.
Among the first to come to Russia, even before Catherine
installed herself on the Russian throne, was the French architect Vallin de la
Motthe, 1729-1800. He did much to introduce the French understanding of
classicism to the newly established Academy of Art, where he was professor. In
cooperation with the Russian architect Kokorin, De la Motthe prepared the plans
for a complex of buildings to house the new Academy. The main edifice erected
in 1765-1788, is a beautiful building done in a softened baroque style, with
large class rooms and exhibit halls. Here is a picture of a model of the
hall.
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