Project for the Riding-School of the Horse Guards in Saint Petersburg - Elevation of the Side Entrance 1744 - 1817

Giacomo Quarenghi rendered this project for the Riding-School of the Horse Guards in Saint Petersburg as a pen and watercolor wash on paper. Here, symmetry reigns supreme. The facade is rigidly organized around a central axis, flanked by identical bays. Note how the columns are not merely decorative but structural, defining the spatial rhythm. Quarenghi uses line and wash to articulate form, emphasizing the interplay of light and shadow across the building's surface. This architectural elevation functions as a sign, a carefully constructed representation of power and order. The neoclassical style evokes a sense of rationality and control, reflecting the Enlightenment values of Quarenghi's time. But consider how this idealized form flattens lived experience, reducing it to a set of formal relations. The building's facade becomes a mask, concealing the complexities within. Ultimately, Quarenghi's elevation invites us to question the relationship between representation and reality, form and function, ideology and lived space.