Scientific Journal of Riga Technical University Architecture and Urban Planning
Agrita Tipāne. Motifs of Nature in Riga Art Nouveau Museum
2010
Volume 4
Fig. 8. Interors from Wyrzykowsky’s house. Architect Max Scherwinsky, Riga.
rose motif stands for love and harmony. Rose motifs were very popular during the Art Nouveau period and many architects and artists used them, e.g. Arthur Richter, the artist from Dresden, made sketches of stylised roses in 1904 [7, 402]. The use of floral elements in decoration of anterooms or halls was widespread all over Europe. Thus, in the early 20th century the magazine Moderne Bauformen that was published in Stuttgart included several projects where floral elements were shown as samples, e.g. in the mansion near the Rhine of the German architect F. W. Jochem and in Edgar Wood’s house in Manchester [8, 50]. The hall was often used also as a waiting room, as it led to the study where the architect met with his clients. This room was his workplace and it had to tell about his social status. Therefore the walls are toned maroon, but the plinth is slightly darker. Brown is a colour of earth and simplicity, while red symbolises success. The placid colours of the room created a favourable atmosphere for talks. At the top of the wall there are stylised ornaments – large stalks of plants with fan-shaped flowers – hemlocks (Figure 7). The features of national romanticism can be discerned in stylisation of this plant and flower. Later, several times the walls had been covered by wallpaper, and these layers give an insight into the development of wallpaper from the first half of the 20th century until the 1990s. Stylised motifs of plants prevail also in wallpaper patterns. Farther on the hall leads to the central room of the apartment – the drawing room. Its walls have regained their previous blue colour symbolising placidity and intellect what fully corresponds to the function of the room. The interior of the drawing room boasts elegantly arranged floral elements inspired by Latvian nature. Floral ornaments were widespread in the interiors of other houses in Riga as well, e.g. in the drawing room of Viganovskis’ house designed by Max Scherwinsky [9, 170] (Figure 8). The top of the walls in Pēkšēns’ drawing room is adorned with an ornamental frieze and daisy motifs. A daisy is one of the most common plants in Latvia blooming all through the summer. It also symbolises the sun and summer solstice when the Midsummer’s Day is celebrated in Latvia and women adorn their heads with wreaths made of flowers, mostly daisies. This motif is also used in a stucco décor on the ceiling where bunches of daisies are bound together with decorative, expressively shaped bands (Figure 9).
Fig. 9. Drawing room with daisy motifs in Alberta iela 12.
The hall leads to the study and to the stately part of the apartment – the drawing room, the salon and the dining room that are arranged in enfilade. The apartment was also the place where the architect worked. The bedroom was located in the remotest part of the apartment. There were also all possible amenities of that time, i.e. the bathroom and the toilet. The kitchen with a pantry and the maid’s room were located at the second entrance of the apartment. The apartment covers the area of 208 square meters, and in the museum, now arranged there, the authentic interior of 1903 has been restored. In 2007 the survey of the rooms began, revealing the original interior design and recording it. Restoration was performed between 2008 and 2009 under the guidance of restoration expert Gunita Čakare. Floral motifs and elements prevail in the decorative finish of the museum. The first room in the apartment is the hall which tells a lot about the owners. Its walls are light blue with a band of stencilled roses. Blue symbolises purity, wisdom and intelligence, while a
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