JUST “A FOLLOWER WITH NO VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS”? EXAMPLES OF ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

The view of modernist architecture as a “unified mass” without regional traits or specific developmental trends has sometimes become symptomatic and is threatening to monuments of this style even today. This article aims to introduce the most significant conclusions obtained from the analysis of the architect Ernests Štālbergs’ creative legacy in the context of Western modernist architecture, identifying the means used to localise the style. Formal and stylistically comparative methods were applied for this purpose. Štālbergs’ modernist works reveal three lines of influences – from the German architect Erich Mendelsohn, the French architect Le Corbusier and the Nordic modernism. This does not mean direct appropriations of composition but rather impulses and inspirations. Štālbergs attempted to adapt modernism to local conditions, as he paid attention to the context of surrounding environment and regional traditions. However, he was more interested not in national but in regional identity, thus fitting in a wider cultural space.

Full text

JUST “A FOLLOWER WITH NO VISIBLE CHARACTERISTICS”?
EXAMPLES OF ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM
IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
PhD Karīna Horsta
Art Academy of Latvia, Institute of Art History
Abstract
e view of modernist architecture as a “unied mass” without regional traits or
specic developmental trends has sometimes become symptomatic and is threatening
to monuments of this style even today. is article aims to introduce the most
signicant conclusions obtained from the analysis of the architect Ernests Štālbergs’
creative legacy in the context of Western modernist architecture, identifying the
means used to localise the style. Formal and stylistically comparative methods were
applied for this purpose. Štālbergs’ modernist works reveal three lines of inuences –
from the German architect Erich Mendelsohn, the French architect Le Corbusier
and the Nordic modernism. is does not mean direct appropriations of composition
but rather impulses and inspirations. Štālbergs attempted to adapt modernism to
local conditions, as he paid attention to the context of surrounding environment and
regional traditions. However, he was more interested not in national but in regional
identity, thus tting in a wider cultural space.
Keywords: Ernests Štālbergs, modernism, Erich Mendelsohn, Le Corbusier,
Nordic modernism.
In his review of the large exhibition organised by the Latvian Architects’ Society
in late 1934 – early 19351, architect Jūlijs Lūsis concluded that architects active on
1 e exhibition took place at Riga City Art Museum (present Latvian National Museum of
Art) in honour of the Society’s tenth anniversary. More than 300 works were exhibited.
Culture Crossroads
Volume 23, 2023, https://doi.org/10.55877/cc.vol23.385
© Latvian Academy of Culture, Karīna Horsta
All Rights Reserved.
ISSN: 2500-9974

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ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
Latvia’s architectural scene could be divided in three loose groups: “original style
seekers”, “ deliberate followers of some (..) trend” and “those (..) working with various
stylistic forms” [Lūsis 1935: 5]. Lūsis described the representatives of functionalism
Ernests Štālbergs, Kārlis Bikše and Jānis Blaus as “deliberate followers of international
modernism with no visible characteristics”, adding, however, that their modernism had
“a German perspective” [Lūsis 1935: 5]. At that exhibition, Štālbergs showed various
works from the 1930s, revealing the diversity of his functionalist period. It included
designs and photographs for the Great Hall and cloakroom of the University of
Latvia, Riga municipal apartment building, the Freedom Monument, monument
to the 6th Riga Infantry Regiment, Ķegums Power Plant, houses of the Minister
of Justice Hermanis Apsītis and conductor Artūrs Bobkovics as well as furnishing
designs and photographs for the veneer factory owner Zālamans Šefers and the
architect’s own bedroom [Latvijas Arhitektu biedrība 1934: 33–40]. e opinion of
Lūsis who was Eižens Laube’s student and represented conservative approach is not
surprising. However, it is rather supercial and overlooks the existence of regional
specicity or distinct lines of inuences within modernism, thus endangering the
monuments of this style until our days.
Ernests Štālbergs’ output reveals the development from academic neo-classicism
cultivated in St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in the 1910s and modernised neo-
classicism in the rst half of the 1920s towards functionalism in the 1930s that he
upheld even aer the Second World War in spite of Socialist Realism imposed by the
occupational power. However, Štālbergs’ stylistic evolution was not linear, as he used
to look back to his earlier periods at times as well as to seek compromises between
the commissioner’s aesthetic demands and his creative principles.
Štālbergs gradually began to embrace functionalism in the second half of the
1920s. is was a transitional period of his activity when he moved away from neo-
classicism and abandoned decorativeness typical of his short-lived Art Deco episode.
Inuences of ideas and direct examples from German modernist architecture are
evident during these years. Bruno Taut1 and Erich Mendelsohn were important
authors for Štālbergs in both theory and practice. A well-considered synthesis of
modern German architectural impulses is seen in the 1929–1930 Riga municipal
apartment building at 12 Lomonosova Street. It manifests inspirations from Taut’s
theoretical works and his Schillerpark housing estate (1924–1930) in Berlin,
Ernst May’s Bornheimer Hang estate (1926–1930) in Frankfurt am Main as well
as from the so-called Frankfurt kitchen furnishings found in “New Frankfurt”
apartments [Horsta 2020]. However, designs of this period show Štālbergs’ stylistic
1 Štālbergs was especially interested in Bruno Taut’s classic theoretical work e New
Apartment: Woman as Creator (Die neue Wohnung: Die Frau als Schöpferin, 1924).

192 KARĪNA HORSTA
experimentation and uctuating attitude towards modernism. Alongside more
modernist examples, he also created markedly retrospective works. During these
years, the architect tried to nd a balance among the latest phenomena, the classical
tradition and the local context.
e 1930s are typied by Štālbergs’ professional maturity when he fully
accepted functionalism, rapidly and purposefully exploring the style’s possibilities
and abandoning the previous cautiousness seen in the early decade. e change
of attitude, similarly to other architects in both Latvia and the entire Northern
Europe, was fostered by the famous 1930 Stockholm Exhibition [Ashby 2017: 142].
Impulses of this exhibition strengthened Štālbergs’ involvement with the Nordic
modernist architecture and indirectly introduced Le Corbusier’s ideas regarding the
arrangement of dwelling houses [Seelow 2016: 132]. erefore, in the early 1930s
Štālbergs learned the language of modernist forms from Le Corbusier’s works. e
1930s emerge as a new beginning in Štālbergs’ professional career when he radically
changed his approach to architecture and attitude towards the environmental context,
also becoming much freer in dealing with oor plans and form. Functionalism
liberated the architect’s creative potential and inspired ambitious projects, thus the
period was very productive. During the decade, there was a change of functionalist
forms in Štālbergs’ individual style, as the early 1930s reveal a “purer” functionalism
but later the Nordic stylistic trend with its natural, cosy version of functionalism
gained more prominence. is is evidenced by the use of wooden nish in both
exterior and interior as well as by the connection with nature and emphasis on the
natural relief.
Ernests Štālbergs was an academically trained professional who critically assessed
each new architectural development and completely opposed the copying of certain
styles or short-lived stylistic trends. erefore, lines of inuences described below do
not mean direct appropriations of composition but a synthesis of impressions in line
with the architect’s understanding of architecture, his individual aesthetic views and
creative principles. Štālbergs’ approach was that of an individualistic and regional
perspective of modernist architecture, commonly dened in opposing terms as a
unied, international style.
e rst line of inuence evident in his designs comes from the German architect
Erich Mendelsohn. An excellent example is the competition design for Riga People’s
House (Figure 1), a surprising, radically modernist third version of the building that
followed two neo-classical variants (1926, 1927). is work dated to 1928–1929
is the architect’s rst consistently modernist design, revealing a rapid adaptation to
the formal means of the style. e pronouncedly modernist building with expressive
arrangement of volumes and a glass-towered corner shows strong impulses from
Mendelsohn’s Schocken Department Store (1926–1928) in Stuttgart (Figure 2).

193
ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
Direct inuences suggest that he possibly saw the building in person, as during his
1928 research trip to Germany [Štālbergs 1928] the architect prepared for the work
on his Riga municipal building project and could visit the exemplary Weissenhof
Estate1 in Stuttgart for this purpose.
1 It was created aer the noted 1927 exhibition in Weissenhof where leading modernist
architects of the time, like Le Corbusier, Bruno Taut, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius
and others, designed permanent dwelling houses.
Figure 1. Ernests Štālbergs. People’s House in Riga. ird design version (competition
design). 1928–1929. Perspective. Latvian State Archive, coll. 95, reg. 1, le 139, p. 19.

194 KARĪNA HORSTA
Inuences from Mendelsohn remained persuasive later too. Reconstruction design
of Hotel de Rome in Riga was worked out in summer 1930. Štālbergs here proposed a
bold solution, breaking the uniform rhythm of the 19th century neo-renaissance façade
with a remarkably modernist element – a narrow, vertical, fully glassed semicircular
bay window (Figure 3). A similar principle was used for the reconstruction of the
newspaper Berliner Tageblatt administrative building in Berlin by Erich Mendelsohn
and his assistant Richard Neutra in 1921–1923. ey put a new, contrasting modernist
structure on the historicist Art Nouveau building, creating a streamlined corner
[Krohn, Stavagna 2022: 58]. Štālbergs turned the 19th century historicist building into
a shell for the modern content and lifestyle, manifested by the sharply contrasting glass
split on the façade. e architect’s clear shi towards modernism is seen in the concept
of reconstruction, aimed at a deliberate contrast between the new structure and the
historical architecture. e striking dierence between the old and the new emerges as
a surprisingly progressive idea in Latvia’s architectural milieu of the time.
One has to agree with the Estonian historian of architecture Mart Kalm that
inter-war Latvian architects were much attracted to Mendelsohn’s typical style with
its rounded façade forms [Kalm 2019: 16]. erefore, Štālbergs blended in a local
functionalist trend.
Figure 2. Erich Mendelsohn. Schocken Department Store in Stuttgart. 1926–1928.
Postcard, 1930. From: http://www.ansichtskarten-markt.com/de/kategorie-1/grossstaedte/
stuttgart/ak-foto-stuttgart-partie-eberhardstrasse-kauaus-schocken-1930-rar

195
ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
In the early 1930s, the line of inuence from Le Corbusier became stronger
in Štālbergs’ output, especially evident in his dwelling house designs, including
architectural volumes as well as oor plans and interiors. Štālbergs examined and
interpreted Le Corbusier’s works to master the formal language of modernism. For
example, in a sketch of an unknown mansion, Štālbergs tried the French architect’s
ve principles of modernist architecture – the building had a at roof, band-type
windows on the façade but the ground oor was envisaged with a covered, post-
supported gallery with large, shop-like windows, creating a visual impression of a
volume resting on posts above the ground [Štālbergs ca. 1930–1931]. e sketch
reveals inuences from Le Corbusier’s most typical works of the second half of the
1920s – semi-detached house at Weissenhof Estate (1926–1927) in Stuttgart and
Villa Savoye (1928–1931) in Poissy. Štālbergs returned to this typical modernist
façade composition in his 1934 competition design of Liepāja Latvian Society
House – the main façade facing Rožu Square (Figure 4) is compositionally close
to Le Corbusier’s classic Villa Savoye. Direct impulses from Le Corbusier are also
evident in the engineer Aleksandrs Siksna’s house with its two-level, multi-functional
Figure 3. Ernests Štālbergs. Hotel de Rome reconstruction design. 1930. Perspectival view
from Aspazijas Boulevard. Latvian State Archive, coll. 95, reg. 1, le 233, p. 35.

196 KARĪNA HORSTA
living room, having a large window and a vertical multi-level division, the upper
oor intended for the engineer’s oce [Štālbergs ca. 1931]. e eect is enhanced
by the stairs shied to the side of the room. In line with Le Corbusier’s idea of “an
architectural promenade”, dierent views of the expressive room are revealed while
climbing the stairs [Cohen 2006: 24].
e line of Nordic modernism is also present in Štālbergs’ creative work
throughout the 1930s, becoming more prominent in the second half of the decade.
Štālbergs got more direct impulses from the Stockholm Exhibition that became a
turning point in his output, shaped his understanding of modernism and outlined
the future years of activity. Štālbergs chose Sweden as the main reference point in
the implementation of modernist architecture and visited the country on a regular
basis, paying particular attention to new buildings and establishing of professional
contacts. For example, he joined the Swedish Society of Cras and Design (Svenska
Slöjdföreningen) [Štālbergs 1942]. Besides, Štālbergs was attracted also by the
modernist architecture of other Nordic countries, especially by the active Finnish
architects’ achievements.
Impressions of the Stockholm Exhibition, especially of its main restaurant’s
(architect Gunnar Asplund) spatial image with a rounded glass structure, are clear
in the restaurant hall for the previously mentioned Hotel de Rome [Štālbergs 1930]
with a striking semicircular form and a curved, fully glassed outer wall. is design
also shows relationship to nature important for the Nordic modernism, as Štālbergs
Figure 4. Ernests Štālbergs. Liepāja Latvian Society house design. 1934.
Main façade. Latvian State Archive, coll. 95, reg. 1, le 238, p. 4.

197
ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
planned the glassed outer wall as a winter garden that would compensate for the lack
of greenery and cover the view of the hotel’s unattractive inner household yard.
A similar connection with nature is demonstrated in children’s sanatorium
Gaujaslīči whose architectural expression is based on the relief as well as on natural
and modest nish materials (Figure 5). e building’s façades are clad with vertical
boards that create an aesthetic eect based on rhythmical lights and darks, also giving
a modernist interpretation of the surrounding wooden cottages. However, one can
widen the scope of analogies and inuences, as such exterior nish was very common
in exemplary houses at the Stockholm Exhibition, modernising the archetype of
traditional Swedish farmstead. e sanatorium was possibly a synthesis of impulses
from several such houses, evidenced not just by the vertical board cladding but also
by the use of the single-pitched roof, close window proportions and rhythm. Similar
examples were house no. 49 designed by Sven Markelius and house no. 47 by Sigurd
Lewerentz. Štālbergs also took photos of simple, similarly boarded one-family
houses during his visit to Sweden in 1934 [Štālbergs 1934]. e sanatorium complex
was created, purposefully using the natural light, relief and pine forest conditions.
e building conformed to the right-angle aesthetics but it was more adapted to
human needs and emphasised naturalness, directly revealing the regional specicity
of Northern European functionalism.
Figure 5. Ernests Štālbergs. Sanatorium Gaujaslīči. 1936–1939. View from the north.
Photo: Ernests Štālbergs, 1939. Latvian State Archive, coll. 95, reg. 1, le 127, p. 8.

198 KARĪNA HORSTA
Conversely, inuences of Finnish functionalism are visible in Štālbergs’ later
work – the Jelgava hotel design created in 1937 (Figure 6). e building’s accent is
a narrow semicircular avant-corps that marks the entrance and the main staircase of
the hotel. In the initial design version, the semicircular avant-corps emerges as a self-
sucient plastic form with one glassed side only. Such a solution is close to Hotel
Aulanko (architects Märta Blomstedt, Matti Lampén, 1936–1939) in Hämeenlinna
(Figure 7). However, the design also features the other line of inuences as such
semicircular avant-corps were commonly used by Mendelsohn’s followers too.
Impulses of Finnish architecture are also identiable in the spatial solution of the
Jelgava hotel restaurant hall, reminding of Restaurant Lasipalatsi (architects Niilo
Kokko, Heimo Riihimäki and Viljo Revell, 1935) in Helsinki that has a similar oor
plan and interior. Especially similar are the rhythm of posts and the glassed outer
wall. It is known that Štālbergs visited Finland in 1935 [Štālbergs 1935]. e Jelgava
hotel design shows how the tendency of representation and Nordic comfort entered
Štālbergs’ functionalist buildings in the second half of the 1930s. Modernist column
shas imitated marble but the stair railings were craed of wood – more pleasant
to touch and warmer than metal tubes [Štālbergs 1937]; wood was especially
popularised by Alvar Aalto [McCarter 2014: 94].
Figure 6. Ernests Štālbergs. Jelgava hotel design. 1937. Perspective. Photocopy.
Latvian State Archive, coll. 95, reg. 1, le 153, p. 12.

199
ERNESTS ŠTĀLBERGS’ MODERNISM IN THE CONTEXT OF WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
e aforementioned examples demonstrate that consistent modernism and
creative ambitions are better revealed in Štālbergs’ unrealised designs or the so-
called paper architecture. During construction the architect had to reckon with the
commissioner’s wishes as well as nancial and technical resources, therefore modesty
and compromises prevailed with dominant traditional architectural forms and greatly
reduced functionalist details. While learning the functionalist language of forms,
Štālbergs retained some critical attitude and tended to localise the style, creating an
individual version. For example, he did not abandon sloping roofs or brick façades
and also did not use the typical modernist white façades, choosing painted plastering
or natural nish materials, like ceramic or wood cladding, instead. ese aspects link
his output to the architectural principles of Nordic countries. Štālbergs cared about
the surrounding environmental context and regional traditions but diered from his
Latvian colleagues, aiming to emphasise not national but regional traits, i. e., the
Nordic identity, thus joining a broader cultural space.
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Figure 7. Märta Blomstedt, Matti Lampén. Hotel Aulanko in Hämeenlinna. 1936–1939.
From: https://en.docomomo./projects/hotel-aulanko/ Photo: Pietinen / MFA.

200 KARĪNA HORSTA
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Štālbergs, E. (1937). Preliminary cost estimate for the Jelgava town hotel building. Ernests
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e article presents the research carried out within the ESF project “Development
of academic sta – approbation of doctoral grant approach and attraction of foreign
academic sta at the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Art Academy of Latvia and Jāzeps
Vītols Latvian Academy of Music” (No. 8.2.2.0/20/I/002).