Architectural structures with an astronomical aspect. Astronomical knowledge in the architecture of ancient Tashkent

Foreword

Essential knowledge about the Universe plays a key role in architecture. Just as the Universe was created by structuring and shaping the space of the World, so architecture is a process similar in its essence to giving structure and form to human space. By being transferred to the earth's firmament, the fundamental principles of the creation of the Cosmos are transformed in accordance with the conditions of our reality and determine the basic ideas of creation in architecture, thus turning it into art.

The material culture of peoples, their worldview and mentality, the ideology of those in power, as well as the desire of the customer, leave their mark on architecture, predetermining the external diversity and abundance of nuances. But the main images and basic forms are determined by the essential aspects of the World, the main principles of cosmic creation. This understanding will allow us to look from a different point of view both at the art of architecture and the ideas expressed by it, and at the very process of creativity in it.

So far, no branch of knowledge can comprehensively describe the foundations of the entire Universe. Religion says nothing about the physics of the World. Science is silent about the meaning and purpose of the appearance of the Universe. And what yoga saw in the depths of other worlds is not yet available to either an ordinary person or natural science. As a result, knowledge about the essence and meaning of Being, the creative and energetic abilities of the individual, the mind of man and all that Existence is scattered bit by bit in various repositories, including non-scientific knowledge and experience.

All knowledge is to some extent limited by dogmatism, ideology, the level of development of society and other subjective factors. Only a correct synthesis of scientific and non-scientific knowledge will allow us to isolate the main ideas of the construction of the Universe, the principles of formation and structuring of matter and space of the Cosmos. Their awareness will highlight the ideological aspects of architectural creativity as an activity that reflects the process of creation and existence of the World in human architecture.

architecture as art

The Universe was created by giving structure and form to the primordial Matter. With the birth of space, sound arose as an accompaniment to creation. The reflection of this divine art of the creation of the World, on a different level and on a different scale, was architecture and music in human activity. Formation and structuring of human space is the essence of architecture as a type of activity. In the art of architecture, it is only a tool for creating an artistic image.

An image that is not in contact with the artistic images of other arts. Sculpture and painting, theater and literature can be considered internal, human arts. These are humanistic arts in the truest sense of the word - they are about a person and his relationships, are directed at him and reflect the ethical and aesthetic perception of themselves. With architecture and music, we touch something greater than ourselves, external, cosmic, some depths of all Existing.

The photographs of the Hubble space telescope showed the splendor of the world of stars, inaccessible to us from the earth, having become acquainted with which it is already impossible to remain indifferent to it. The unimaginable depth of the Universe, the ringing emptiness of Space with the quiet melody of the Universe - we can feel all this only indirectly, with our artistic perception. To cover the whole World and the whole abyss of the Cosmos with our awareness - this, unfortunately, goes beyond our capabilities.

The shaping of the planet's creative forces is much more visible and gives such a clear tectonics of efforts that the feeling of the titanic power of the Earth, the all-crushing forces of the Ocean, the immensity of the breadth and heights of Aer can overwhelm a person. The visible scales of manifestations of these Elements of nature are not comparable with us, people are only guests within them and involuntary witnesses of their creations. And it is no coincidence that among the ancient Greeks, the Elements (titans) are the first, wild and inhuman gods who create the world itself.

Architecture, creating forms consonant with the scale of man, develops a different proportion of the created forms of space with man, in comparison with the works of Nature or Cosmos. Despite the smaller scale, the semantic load of architectural images can be even more comprehensive and deep. As the art of creating form, architecture is fundamentally symbolic.

In this, she echoes monumental art, where techniques and forms of architecture are actively used to give figurative completeness and essential significance to her creations. In its highest manifestations and images, devoid of any utility and practice, architecture itself becomes a monumental fine art of creation and existence of the entire Universe.

Architecture and music, as external arts, have an enduring significance in eternity, retaining their relevance as long as the World itself exists. As the mind evolves in the Universe and not only human, the humanistic and all other aspects of the relationship of any embodied consciousnesses may fade, and, accordingly, the inner arts will dry up and cease. But only not music and architecture, as a means of artistic expression of the foundations of the Universe and the existence of the World.

Architecture becomes art when it rises to artistic comprehension and figurative expression of ideas about the basic principles and ideas of the world order, about the place of man in this World and his co-scaleness of the Universe. The art of architecture is that aspect of the formation of the World and its creation, which is directly addressed to a person, his mind and feelings, and is associated with him.

Any architectural activity, regardless of the will and consciousness of the architect himself, is a semblance of the actions of the Creator and his hierarchies for the creation of the World and the creation of material forms of all Existing. And the more principles and ideas of the world order the work embodies, the more voluminous and deep, multifaceted and significant in the artistic sense the created image is.

The figurative expression of the principles of building the World by the mind may not be realized. But it is necessarily perceived at the subconscious level, creating emotional empathy for the emerging depth of creation. The use, all the more conscious, of various principles of the world order and the means of their artistic expression, leads to the fact that the architectural image can change both its meaning, significance and depth, and the degree of impact on human perception.

Cosmogony

Once in the wilds of the virgin landscape, the city dweller begins to feel the difference between the reality of nature and the artificial world of the streets of his native city and the cozy atmosphere of the apartment. Similarly, Space is our cozy city in a Universe that is completely different from it. Only having renounced our habitual objective world of objects perceived as a kind of unchanging given, one can consider the issues of cosmogony, which presents a certain psychological difficulty.

Creation exposes the basic principles of the existence of the Universe and the formation of structures that make it possible to generate existence in it. They also determine the direction of development of consciousness and life throughout the Universe. In Indian philosophy there is a well-developed idea of ​​how and what principles determine the process of creating the World. If we discard the religious and epochal aspects of this knowledge and use modern scientific understanding, then the following picture emerges.

Before the beginning of all times and worlds, in a state of chaos, the absence of any structure and being, the One is in a state of rest - in Non-Being. It represents the primordial Matter, in the form of its most "thin" part - pure energy. Rationality is an inalienable primordial property of any matter. The rationality of all, eternally existing pra-Matter forms the primary Consciousness. Reasonable pra-Matter (energy) with a single and all-encompassing Consciousness is the One, the Absolute.

Fundamental for any consciousness is the desire for self-awareness, which non-existence does not allow to be realized. In Non-Being - in the absence of any activity and structure, in a state of absolute rest - there is simply nothing to be aware of. The desire for self-awareness prompts the One to create from himself something - a structure in which there are processes, being, life - something in which he will be fully manifested, active and can act. We call it Peace.

To create the World, the One from passive Non-Being passes into active Being by dividing part of its energy into opposite states: Rajas (dynamics) and Tamas (statics). When states of mobility and inertia appear in the energy, an interaction is born between them, striving to compensate for the arisen division of Matter and return it to its former, integral state. The separate existence of Rajas (Yang) or Tamas (Yin) is impossible - they are born by the division of one.

There are two principles of the state of energy: movement and non-movement. The emergence of the principle of motion makes it possible for the very processes of matter change to arise - the energy of the One in the state of Rajas creates the possibility of the existence of Being as such, giving rise to all its processes and time itself. The principle of non-movement allows you to concentrate energy, condensing it to the field form of matter and substance - the energy of the One in the state of Tamas creates the possibility of the emergence of all the materiality of the World and any objects from it.

This separation of energy, constantly maintained by the One, is Sattva (harmony) or Tai Chi - a state of balanced interaction of opposites. The existence of Sattva, as a state of harmonious separation of the energy of the One, makes it possible to structure matter. Structuring makes it possible to give matter a form: to create Space, and from it and in it all the diversity of things. Sattva allows you to give birth to the entire manifested world of Existence, which exists as long as there is Sattva, as the energy of creation. Thus Chaos becomes Cosmos.

The energy of the One is the basis of all Existing. The beginnings - the principles of the state of energy - weave the entire matter of the Universe, their continuous action creates the World and Being. Sattva, revealing all the energy of the World, generates space - the source of all materiality. And Tamas and Rajas by their interaction form the Universe out of it. This action of the Beginnings in the creation of the entire diversity of the materiality of the World is carried out by the Elements and their elements - the principles of creating dense matter.

Condensing the energy of Sattva, Tamas allows you to create all forms of materiality, down to matter, giving rise to the existing. The formation of the entire diversity of the revealed matter of the Universe, the entire spectrum of materiality is determined by the Elements of the World. As the idea of ​​structuring and the state of the revealed matter of the World, the Element is an aspect of the energy of the One. There are five Elements of the World: Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth - it is they that determine the diversity of the states of the matter of all Existence.

One source of the Universe. Its essence is pure energy, the thinnest part of matter. From subtle to dense, all Existing is formed: smoothly passing from the weightless subtlety of the pure energy of Chaos, through the energy saturation of the matter of metaetheric, astral and ethereal fields, up to the dense structure of the matter of the Universe. By this the World acquires a multi-layered, multi-level structure of the organization of manifested matter - parallel worlds, planes of Existence arise.

In these parallel floors of the Universe, all objects and beings of the World arise. Similarly, they are formed from thin to dense. Proceeding from the One and manifesting consistently in each plane of Existence, they are formed from the matter of each parallel world. And when, as a result, a material object of the Cosmos arises, it retains the entire garland of its previous (at more subtle levels of Being) manifestations (bodies), forming, for example, in a person, the so-called aura.

Such structuring of matter leads to the fact that matter exists only in the Universe, as the densest world. In other subtle, higher planes of Existence, matter exists only in the form of energy fields. And accordingly, an object can act only in the world where it has its “body”, where it is materially represented (without a body made of matter, no spirit, mind, consciousness can physically act in our world).

The created structure allows Consciousness to be embodied in various objects of these worlds. This happens in the form of a multitude of “separate”, individualized parts, embodied in the form of the consciousness of both rational beings, and in the form of the mind (for others, and consciousness) of all material objects. The mind of the One has the opportunity to go through all possible ways of developing its evolution. And thereby realize oneself in all the diversity of one's existence and interaction in the World.

It is more effective to start self-awareness of the manifested forms in the dense worlds, where the restriction of the dynamism of matter and the freedom of manifestation creates conditions for the consciousness to make a clearer distinction and accuracy of perception. And the creation of the worlds continues until the material and most dense level of Being arises, where spatial existence in one-dimensional time is still possible - our Universe. It is here that the manifested consciousness of living beings begins to realize itself.

The denser and lower the plane of Existence, the more embodied objects of the mind are in it. The Universe, our Cosmos is the basis for revealing life and mind in the Universe, it is the cradle and the very beginning of the self-awareness of the World. The higher the plane of Existence and closer to the One - the fewer conscious objects, the larger, more developed, more significant they are. This gives rise to a hierarchical structure of matter and mind in the Universe, which allows it to be organized, controlled and supported in its evolution.

All Matter is reasonable: and not only the Principles of the World - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, but also any other, smaller arrays of energy, material objects and processes in the World have consciousness. Planets, Stars, Galaxies have a highly developed, although completely different from ours, consciousness. These consciousnesses go their way of development in the processes of creation and evolution of the materiality of the World.

Together with the Principles and Elements of the World, the spirits of the peace-making hierarchies direct the processes of creation and formation of the materiality of the Cosmos. This activity eventually leads to the creation of conditions for the origin of life on the planetary systems of stars. On the Earth, besides the Elements of Nature, lesser spirits, the elementals, also undergo their evolution, spiritualizing all the elemental, natural processes of existence. Although compared to a person, they can be much larger.

The individualized parts of the consciousness of the One, having embodied in the form of the consciousness of living beings, begin their path of development and self-knowledge in the planetary worlds created by the evolution of the Universe. As they develop and improve, they gradually rise closer and closer to the One on the planes of Existence. And having finally reached the perfect unity and similarity of their manifestations with the One, they complete their separate evolution by merging with Him without losing their individual self-awareness.

shaping

All matter and objects of the World are the energy of the One divided into polarities, Sattva. Energy in other states cannot exist in the Universe. When the World is created by the influence of the Beginnings and Elements, the density of Sattva increases, changing its properties. Condensing Sattva becomes more and more tamasic, losing dynamism. By this, all objects of the Universe acquire the qualities of inertia and dynamism in their interconnection, showing polarity already at the level of the properties of the objects of the World. As a result, polarity manifests itself not only in the structure of matter, but even in the properties of material objects, thus causing their interaction.

The properties of any object are dialectically dependent on each other. Extremely small tamasicity of materiality always corresponds to a very large dynamics. Conversely, there is very little movement in a very inert and dense object. For the harmonious state of these objects and the entire Universe, they must interact, balancing the opposites of each other. This is how the empty Space is balanced by the emergence of dense planets and stars of the Universe. For Sattva is obtained by the division of one whole.

Sattva, as a manifestation of the interaction of two objects with pronounced properties of Yin and Yang, always implies the presence of oppositely weakly expressed properties of Yang and Yin. And it is by no means accidental that Trimurti (the trinity of Hinduism): Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, had their female halves - Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati, forming Tridevi (the female side of the trinity). This religious construction only reflects the reality of structuring the objective, physical world of the Universe.

Vacuum, space (creating the very form of the entire Universe) is the most subtle matter of the World, very dynamic with a vanishingly small tamasicity. The substance of black holes in the Cosmos is the densest matter of the World, extremely inert with negligible dynamism. This is the maximum range of natural manifestation of the ultimate properties of Sattva in the Universe. An object with simultaneously extremely large properties of Rajas and Tamas cannot exist in the World.

Only an artificial object, such as an architectural structure, can simultaneously have very pronounced properties of Rajas and Tamas (for example, in form) in their sharp interaction. This creates a concentrated state of sattva that is not inherent in the natural state of objects. The maximum expression of an idea, a principle arises, which forms a multi-level channel of influence, a multi-layered flow of information to a person - in other words, an image arises.

The amplitude of the manifestations of the Beginnings on Earth is also “attached” to the matter and objects of our world, although less than the cosmic one. From the density of the hot core of the planet to the cold of the rarefied layers of the stratosphere, from the darkness of rocks to the luminous ionosphere of the Earth. It is the interaction of Rajas and Tamas in matter, which changes its properties, that makes it possible to give the substance a form. The form is given by different degrees of manifestation of the Elements in materiality and arises as a boundary between different states of matter.

The formation of the Universe, astronomical objects of the Cosmos, geological formations of the Earth - all these are processes of shaping energy, matter, matter. The creation of the form occurs due to the occurrence of a difference in the concentrations of energy, field, matter. And it is caused by the thickening influence of Tamas on the matter of Sattva, which increases as more and more dense worlds are created. The creation of the Space and plans of the Existence of the Universe, stars, planets and galaxies in the Cosmos, mountains and landscapes on the planets, is cosmic and natural architecture as the art of shaping in general.

This natural shaping is a derivative of the Tamas function. It is quite feasible to create a form, according to the principle of opposites, with an extremely minimal manifestation of Tamas - the creation of a border with the help of a wall, a fence, a shell, a shell, any membrane in general from a matter of a different state that delimits the environment. In its limit, the shaping of such a plan is possible without Tamas at all - in the form of an illusory border, a line, just a symbol.

The pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) was created by the architect Hemiun by the formation of a rock monolith, the concentration of matter, piling up stone blocks. The glass pyramid of the Louvre was created by the architect Bei Yu Ming, forming its forms only by the designation of boundaries, an illusory symbol illustrating the very principle of the existence of a form, as a boundary between two volumes. The glass pyramid is made with an extremely small manifestation of Tamas - directly opposite to the pyramid of Cheops.

The practical (not symbolic) architecture is more complex. It operates with both external and internal forms, thereby generating the structure of the architectural space. And this is the interaction of Tamas and Rajas, as cosmogonic principles, in the structure of objects. Materiality acquires structure when Rajas (emptiness) is introduced into Tamas (substance). In our consideration, we will confine ourselves to external shaping as the basis that determines the imagery of an architectural work.

Rajas necessarily participates in shaping (the basis of which is created by Tamas). The balance between Tamas and Rajas is sometimes elusive and subtle, but it is he who gives the nuances of imagery. After all, the volume of space described by the dome and the polygonal tent is almost identical. But what a striking difference in the quality of the form is either the female or the male aspect of the image. Giving the form of this or that figurativeness, this or that quality is the most important question of architecture.

The appearance of a form also depends on the level of manifestation of energy in the Universe. By creation, an ordered structure of the World arises, based on the possibilities of manifestation of matter. The density of matter, as it flows from the One and the creation of the World, grows, up to the density of the material Universe. Depending on the density, materiality acquires different properties. It is these differences that make it possible to speak about the layers of the Universe, about separate worlds, about the planes of Existence.

The Plans of Existence create different levels of organization of the Cosmos, and thus the whole process of the formation of the World is decomposed into floors: the Universe - the Plans of Existence - the Universe. In the Universe: Galaxy - Solar system - Earth. The reflection of this level structuring in the shaping of a person gives rise to a division: design of premises - architecture - urban planning - metropolis (territorial complex). This is a natural illustration of the existence of a vertical scheme of organization of the Universe.

Hermes Trismegistus is credited with the words: “What is below is like what is above, and what is above is like what is below.” This is a reflection of the understanding that a small circle of basic principles of building the World through interaction at different levels of Being gives all the diversity of life. The existence of each level of the structural organization of the Universe follows the same laws. But the Principles of the World manifest themselves at all levels of Existence according to the possibilities of each level.

And if at the level of the One Rajas and Tamas reflect the universal principles of energy structuring and the existence of the World. Then at our level, the interaction of these principles gives the dialectical properties of objects (male and female in the living, the duality of electric charges, etc.) and the polarity of all the processes of our existence. Therefore, the display of seemingly simple and banal things known and understandable to everyone can reflect the principles of construction of all Existing.

To be continued...

Yu.L. menzin

Architect Konstantin Bykovsky and modernization of the Astronomical Observatory of Moscow University

The outstanding architect Konstantin Mikhailovich Bykovsky (1841 - 1906) made a fundamental contribution to the development of Moscow University. From 1883 to 1897 K.M. Bykovsky served as the Chief Architect of the University. However, in the following years of his life, he took an active part in the preparation and implementation of various projects related to the construction and modernization of a number of university buildings.

Among the objects of Moscow University, in the creation and reconstruction of which the outstanding architect Konstantin Mikhailovich Bykovsky took part, is the complex of buildings of the old Astronomical Observatory, located on Presnya (Novovagankovsky per., 5), built in the first third of the 19th century. At the end of the 19th century, a large-scale restructuring and modernization of this observatory was carried out. Unfortunately, many details of K.M. Bykovsky in the restructuring of the university observatory are not yet known, and in the available literature on the history of architecture, when covering this issue, there are some inaccuracies and even errors. A detailed study of the role of K.M. Bykovsky in the development of the university observatory requires special historical and archival research. At the same time, there is no doubt that the reconstruction of such an important object as the Astronomical Observatory could not be carried out without constant discussions and approvals with the Chief Architect of Moscow University K.M. Bykovsky. Many aspects of this reconstruction required solving not only purely scientific problems (for example, the choice and placement of observation instruments), but also architectural and even urban planning problems. The solution of such problems was not possible without the participation of K.M. Bykovsky. Below we will consider the key moments of the reconstruction of the Astronomical Observatory, which are inextricably linked with the change in its architectural appearance. I think that such work can provide significant assistance to architectural historians studying the creative heritage of K.M. Bykovsky.

The Astronomical Observatory (AO) of the Imperial Moscow University was built in 1831 on a piece of land donated to the university in 1827 by the famous Moscow philanthropist of Greek origin Zoy Pavlovich Zosima (1757-1827). (Fig. 1) In 1931, the State Astronomical Institute named after P.K. Sternberg (GAISh), which became one of the research institutes of Moscow State University. In 1953, the SAI moved to a new building on the Lenin Hills. At the same time, the joint-stock company remained part of the institute, and now bears the name of the Krasnopresnenskaya Observatory of the SAI.

The creator of the joint-stock company and its first director was Dmitry Matveyevich Perevoshchikov (1788-1880), a professor of astronomy at Moscow University, a prominent scientist and educator. (Fig. 2) The main building of the AO and the two-storey house of astronomers-observers were built according to the design of Dormidont Grigoryevich Grigoriev (1789-1856), who was from 1819 to 1832. architect of Moscow University. An important feature of the main building of the JSC is a double foundation (one under the walls, the other, deeper, under the tower), which made it possible to later install high-precision, heavy tools in the JSC. By the 1850s the observatory was fully equipped with all the necessary instruments, and regular scientific work began in it. The first photograph of AO was taken in 1864 by Bogdan Yakovlevich Schweitzer (1816-1873), director of the observatory, professor of astronomy, one of the founders of gravimetry in Russia. (Fig.3)

Fig.3 The first photograph of AO (1864).

In the 1890s the government allocated about a million rubles for the development of the first Russian university. Of this amount, almost one hundred thousand rubles were planned to be spent on the development of the joint-stock company. Thanks to the allocation of these funds, in the 1890s. a large-scale modernization of the AO began, which was carried out under the guidance of its director, an outstanding astronomer, corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Vitold Karlovich Tserasky (1849-1925) (Fig. 4). In addition to the funds allocated by the government, a fellow student of Tserasky, entrepreneur Alexander Alexandrovich Nazarov, who donated 16 thousand rubles for the needs of the observatory, provided significant assistance in the modernization of the joint-stock company. (Fig. 5)

In recently published monographs dedicated to K.M. Bykovsky (and), it is stated that the reconstruction of the joint-stock company took place in 1905-1906. and became one of the last works in which the architect took part. In fact, the reconstruction of the joint-stock company took place in the second half of the 1890s, that is, in the same period of time when, under the leadership of K.M. Bykovsky, the reconstruction and construction of a number of other buildings of Moscow University were carried out. Construction work on the territory of the AO began in the summer of 1895. First, the walls of the northern wing of the main building of the AO were erected, which housed the classroom. (Fig. 6) Under this wing, at a depth of 6 meters, an underground room was made, in which there was a particularly accurate clock, which provided the AO with the status of the keeper of the exact time. The construction and equipment of the auditorium was completed in 1896, and in the spring of 1897, classes began in it. (Fig. 7) It is interesting to note that choirs were arranged in the auditorium to accommodate projection lights, as well as to accommodate listeners who were not students. Thus, to some extent, the idea of ​​amphitheatres, brilliantly applied by Bykovsky in other classrooms of Moscow University, was reproduced.

Simultaneously with the construction of the northern wing, the construction of an auxiliary tower in the center of the courtyard of the joint-stock company began, which later received the name Nazarovskaya. During the summer of 1895, the walls of the tower and the pole for the 7-inch telescope were erected. In September, Gustav Heide's company (Dresden) supplied a 5-meter dome for the tower, which was installed in October under the guidance of university mechanic Vladimir Ivanovich Chibisov. (Fig. 8) In the summer of 1896, parquet was laid in the Nazarovskaya Tower, a partition was built on the ground floor, the walls of the tower were plastered and painted. The dome was painted with waterproof gray aluminum paint. It is interesting to note that G. Heide, who was proud that his company received an order for the construction of domes for the Astronomical Observatory of Moscow University, used a photograph of the Nazarov Tower on letterheads. (Fig. 9, 10)

In the spring of 1899, the reconstruction of the main building of the JSC began, during which the old dome of the tower was dismantled and a cold staircase leading to the top of the tower was added. The latter made it possible to get rid of the streams of warm air rising from the lower rooms and interfering with observations. In the same year, the Heide company began to install a new, 10-meter dome. Its installation was finally completed in May 1900. (Fig. 11)

The Museum of the History of Astronomy, which is located in the main building of the AO, has preserved an old album with photographs depicting various stages of the reconstruction of the observatory. The photographs and captions were made by a student of V.K. Tserasky, an employee of the JSC S.N. Blazhko. A student of Tserasky, who started working at the AO as a student, S.N. Blazhko is also the author of the fundamental "History of the Moscow Astronomical Observatory", published in 1940. In his "History" Blazhko does not say anything about whose architectural project the construction of the Nazarovskaya Tower and the restructuring of the main building of the joint-stock company were carried out. However, the caption to one photograph, which depicts a team of workers who were building a new dome, contains the words "foreman from the architect K. Bykovsky."

Fig.8 Installing a 5m domes of the Nazarovskaya tower.	Fig.9 Nazarovskaya tower AO. V.K. is standing on the porch. Tserasky.
Fig.10 Letter to G. Heide V.K. Tserasky. On letterhead as emblems of the company Heide used photograph of the Nazarovskaya tower.	Fig.11 Works on the installation of a 10-meter domes of the tower of the main building of the AO.

"In many design details, the main building of the observatory resembles the work of both Bykovskys, in particular, arched windows in the linen of the rotunda, framed by "Renaissance" rectangular portals, decoration of the entrance areas with pilasters under the pediment, horizontal rustication, etc. It can be assumed that the main building of the observatory in its long history, it had a construction phase, approximately around 1905, which either took place under the guidance of K.M. Bykovsky as an architect of Moscow University, or taking into account his wishes and proposals ".

Shortly after the installation of the dome, a 15-inch telescope-astrograph was installed in the tower of the main building, at that time one of the largest instruments in Russia. (Fig. 13) In the period from 1901 to 1903. one of the most important elements of the observatory, its meridian hall, was reconstructed. (Fig. 14) Unfortunately, this hall has not been preserved. It was liquidated in 1949, because after the war a rapid increase in the number of employees of the SAI began, the placement of which in the small premises of the joint-stock company was not possible. No one could then foresee that in just 4 years the SAI would receive a new building on the Lenin Hills.

During the reconstruction of the joint-stock company, much attention was also paid to its interior. So, special semicircular furniture was ordered and installed, which has completely survived to this day. The walls of the AO were decorated with ornaments and moldings. (Fig. 15 - 17) Thanks to this, the AO, whose employees made a fundamental contribution to the development of domestic and world astronomy, has also become a true work of art.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the joint-stock company acquired a finished look, later known from many photographs. (Fig. 18) It is important to emphasize that the construction and reconstruction of the AO has significantly changed the adjacent area of ​​Presnya. Thanks to the petitions of V.K. Tserasky, the street leading to the AO was paved. At the same time, in order to protect the AO from noise and dust, poplars were planted on the street. In 1902, at the initiative of Tserasky, Moscow University entered into an agreement (servitude) with the general developer of this part of Moscow, a well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist, State Councilor Pavel Grigoryevich Shelaputin (1848 - 1914).

In the late 1940s, in the conditions of an acute shortage of premises for employees of the SAI, the southern and northern wings of the AO were built on. This add-on did not spoil the appearance of the AO (Fig. 19), but led to the destruction of the meridian hall and auditorium, located, respectively, in the southern and northern wings of the AO. In the late 1970s the Moscow government decided to demolish the AO, and only the active protests of the astronomical community of the USSR made it possible to save this unique object. In 1979, the complex of buildings of the Krasnopresnenskaya observatory was put under state protection as a monument of history and architecture. In the early 1980s The Museum of the History of Astronomy was located in the Krasnopresnenskaya Observatory, which was previously located in one of the rooms of the new building of the SAI on the Lenin Hills. In the late 1980s - early 1990s, despite huge financial difficulties, the Directorate of the SAI, with the active support of the Rectorate of Moscow State University, carried out a scientific restoration of the main building of the joint-stock company. At present, the restoration of the Nazarovskaya Tower is almost completed. (Fig. 20) These are the architectural aspects of the history of the Astronomical Observatory of Moscow University in brief. An exceptionally important page in this history is the modernization of the observatory, carried out at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This modernization was part of a large-scale restructuring of Moscow University, carried out under the leadership of its Chief Architect, Konstantin Mikhailovich Bykovsky.

In conclusion, I want to note that this article was written on the basis of the report "K.M. Bykovsky and the Astronomical Observatory of the Imperial Moscow University", made on April 18, 2012 at the scientific conference "The Creative Heritage of the Moscow Architectural Dynasty Bykovsky" in the Main Archive of Moscow. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to M.P. Fedina for her great help in the preparation of this article.

Article author:
Mentsin Julius Lvovich - Ph.D. Phys.-Math. Sci., Head of the Museum of the History of the University Observatory and SAI, State Astronomical Institute. P.K. Sternberg Moscow State University. Slave. tel. 939-10-30. Mob. tel. 8-916-176-58-04.

The unity of architecture is achieved by a number of compositional and artistic means.

¾ The simplest artistic means - geometric shape.

Determined the ratio of the dimensions of the form according to three coordinates(height width depth). If all the three dimensions are relatively equal – shape is voluminous(developed in all three coordinates. On the perception of this form affects: the type of surface, the position and angle of the form relative to the viewer, the height of the horizon. If one dimension less- the shape is flat. If one dimension more- linear character. In a complex ensemble unity is achieved by subordination: main volume secondary buildings and orientation towards the compositional center are subordinate.

¾ Symmetry- elements of the form are considered symmetrical about the center.

¾ Asymmetry- a means of creating unity in asymmetric compositions is the visual balance of parts in terms of mass, texture, color. (Savior Transfiguration Cathedral of the Mirozhsky Monastery). Role- revealing the dynamics of the artistic image of the work.

¾ Proportions- the ratio of architectural forms in height, width, length. Equal proportions (pyramids), abscesses - the golden ratio. Proportions determine the proportionality and harmony of the elements of architectural forms.

¾ scale- the proportionality of forms and elements in relation to the person, the surrounding space. Determines the relative ratio of perceived forms in relation to the size of a person

¾ Rhythm– with its help proportionality and expressiveness of architecture is achieved. Rhythm is created by uniform repetition of forms and intervals (ornament, columns, windows)

¾ The position of the form in space– frontal, profile, horizontal, closer, farther from the viewer

¾ Weight in the building in visual perception depends on visual assessment of the amount of material. Cubic or spherical shapes have the greatest mass.

¾ Material texture- reflects the volumetric nature of the surface, texture– linear structure of the material on the surface.

¾ Color The property of a surface to reflect or emit light. It is characterized by color tone. Saturation. Lightness.

¾ Chiaroscuro- reveals the distribution of light and dark areas of the surface of the form. Facilitates the visual perception of the architectural form. Most reveals the volume and texture of light at an angle of 45 degrees.

The role of natural and artificial light is very important. The characteristics of the light are related to the orientation of the building − direct can illuminate southern, eastern, western facades, penetrating into the interior as a side or top light. Natural light enhances illumination . artificial light used at the level of street lighting of architecture volumes.

Architecture refers not only to the organs of vision, but to the totality of the sensory and spiritual perception of man. Visual perception alone is not enough to evaluate architecture, simply because we cannot look at the whole building with one glance, from one point of view. If we look at the building from the outside, we can only see one side of it completely, or, if we look from an angle, two sides in great reduction. A wider scope of space is available to the eye inside the building, when several walls and a ceiling or floor can be seen at a time from one point of view. But we are able to perceive the interior space of the building only in the form of separate, partial pictures. How, then, can we get a complete, exhaustive picture of the entire architectural organism, if our impression of a building is inevitably made up of only disparate, fragmentary optical aspects?

Architecture, as I have already pointed out, appeals not only to visual sensations, but also to touch, and even to the hearing of the viewer. The hand imperceptibly touches the wall, feels the column, slides along the railing. We pay little attention to this often unconscious manifestation of our tactile energy, especially to the movements of our body, to the rhythm of our step, and yet tactile and motor sensations play a very important role in our experience of architecture, in that peculiar mood in which we plunges this or that architectural space. And, finally, and most importantly, a complete perception of architecture is possible only in continuous movement, in sequential movement in the space of the building: we approach the building along the street, along the square or along the steps of the stairs, go around it, penetrate into its interior, move along it. the main axes, now bypassing whole suites of rooms, now wandering in the forest of columns. (VIPPER).

25. Synthesis of arts in architecture.

SYNTHESIS OF THE ARTS(Greek synthesis - connection, combination) - the organic unity of artistic means and figurative elements of various arts, which embodies the universal ability of a person to aesthetically explore the world. The synthesis of arts is realized in a single artistic image or system of images, united by the unity of conception, style, performance, but created according to the laws of various types of art.

Big Synthesis reaches its heyday in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome. In ancient Russian artistic culture, examples of Synthesis are many monastic ensembles, kremlins, churches, and civil buildings.

Historical development Synthesis of Arts connected with the desire to embody in art ideal of the whole person expressing the idea of ​​social progress.

Basis of synthesis is architecture – she defines the place, ideological orientation, scale b, technology performance and general principles compositions, supplemented work sculpture, painting, decorative arts, which correspond to a certain artistic and architectural solution.

Architecture organizes outdoor space. Sculpture, painting, decorative arts should have special qualities corresponding to their roles and location in the architectural ensemble (for example, painting, sculpture on facades buildings must have monumentality, decorativeness). compatible with architecture, sculpture, painting, decorative arts organize the interior space(interior) and help to establish a figurative unity between it and the external environment.

Rhythm, scale, color pictorial and sculptural elements are essential affect perception. architectural appearance of the building or complex as a whole and, consequently, to achieve unity, embodied in synthesis.

Synthesis achieved thanks to same concept and style. Style in architecture is called commonality of means and techniques of artistic expression are imbued X attitude dominant ideology in society.

In the modern era receives development of the "big synthesis" - creation with the help of architecture, color, monumental painting, arts and crafts subject environment most fully embodying and revealing the ideological and artistic content of the ensemble and his active influence on a person.

Synthesis does not always occur immediately, as a result of a one-time design and one-time work of an architect and an artist. We know examples when a building was built first, and then it was supplemented with painting.

The same could be said about the building of the Admiralty and the sculptures adorning it by F. Shchedrin, I. Terebenev, S. Pimenov, V. Demut-Malinovsky. It is difficult to imagine the central part of the Admiralty, crowning its tower, without a sculpture that contributes to the disclosure of the main idea of ​​the architect A. Zakharov - a demonstration of the sea power, the sea power of Russia. Without a sculpture, the Admiralty will become different, while at the same time, any statue taken from the tower will look like a very large, well-made thing, and nothing more.