Mosaic courtyard and “a tiny piece of me. Non-pop Peter

Petersburg is mine hometown, once a year I try to come there to visit my mother. And since my mother is a big lover of art, every time we visit museums, go with her to exhibitions, concerts, theaters, visit my favorite places, or just go to the park to feed squirrels or birds, which are not at all afraid of people and happily take food from hands. This time we also visited the mosaic courtyard on Tchaikovsky Street.

Since I took several photographs of mosaic paintings, as well as sculptures of this place, I ended up with this post. Perhaps it will inspire someone to decorate their patio with mosaics, or at least the idea will arise to create a mosaic picture like these - flat or even three-dimensional.

It must be said that not all St. Petersburg residents know that in the center of St. Petersburg, not far from the Summer Garden, almost next to the Neva River, on Tchaikovsky Street, house 2/7, there is a small courtyard, which is called the “mosaic courtyard.” It's not in the guidebooks, so it's not crowded with people, but it's very interesting. Those who see it involuntarily compare the wall mosaics with the works of Gaudi.

The yard was initially typical of St. Petersburg, unremarkable, even ugly, like others like it. It is quite large; along its entire length you can admire the works of the artists of the creative workshop, headed by the Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Lubenko. The so-called Small Academy of Arts is located here.

Decorating house facades with mosaics

All mosaic work in this courtyard is the work of the director Vladimir Lubenko and his students. The courtyard began to be covered with mosaics relatively recently, about twenty years ago. Those who are familiar with the climate of St. Petersburg will understand why in some places sections of the mosaic masonry have been destroyed. Winters are harsh and frosty; during a thaw, huge icicles fall into the roofs.

I myself simply adore mosaics. Especially from smalt - colored glass, which is melted with the addition of metal oxides. Hence such a rich variety of shades. Smalt is also known for the fact that it seems to glow from within. It has long been considered a traditional material for making mosaic panels.

If you are in St. Petersburg and want to look at mosaic paintings, panels and sculptures, be sure to take a camera with you. Photos with this courtyard in the background turn out to be very unusual.

Mosaic panel “Glory to the heroes of truth and beauty”

In addition to volumetric sculptural works, here you will see many flat mosaic paintings.

Mosaic painting “Workers”

This is how parts of the house wall are decorated in an original way. Separate mosaic paintings running in one row.

Several pictures close up so that you can take a closer look.

Inside, the front doors of the houses are also covered with mosaic paintings. Not only the building of the small academy of arts, but also all the nearby ones did not go unnoticed by the artists. Below you can see what's underneath the house.

If we raise our eyes higher, we see that against the background of a dark gray wall there are motifs with geese and swans laid out in white mosaic tiles, probably Nils Holgerson on them. Remember the fairy tale?

Mosaic motifs from "Nils's Travels with wild geese»

In the middle, in the depths of the courtyard, there is a fountain “Mother and Child”, around it there are benches, lions, and other three-dimensional sculptures.

I think that you can get some ideas from here, for example, pay attention to how the curbs are designed, or as true St. Petersburg residents say, curbs. It's not that difficult, but it's so beautiful!

And here is that same fountain. Mother and child. They are made in silver color. There is a lot of marbled white, and also mesmerizingly beautiful red-orange shades.

Mosaic fountain "Mother and Child"

Lots of lions. In St. Petersburg, in general, there are a great many lions, all different ones. Remember the film “The Adventures of Italians in Russia”?

Rainbow and completely incomprehensible bizarre forms of sculptures covered with mosaics. I especially liked the strange squiggles of alien origin growing upward, they are at the very bottom.

Another example of mosaic border decoration. Each surface is flat, so the work is not that difficult even for beginners.

It’s nice that, where possible, flowers were planted and cared for; the bright buds harmonize with the luminous colors of the courtyard mosaic.

The children's playground, also located inside the courtyard, is decorated in the same way. There's a lot more to see, so just take the time to go and check it out! You won't regret it.

How to get to the mosaic courtyard, address on the map

I was walking around Summer Garden, then went out to the Neva, turned right, walked along the Laundry Bridge, then walked along the Fontanka embankment, turned into the courtyard along Tchaikovsky Street 2/7. And she took a different route.

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This is my own work, and this is the story behind it. Quite a lot of multi-colored pebbles and shells had accumulated, I wanted to use them in business, and it was decided to create some kind of composition.

Since all my “wealth” was brought from the beaches, the picture also had to be about vacation, sun and sea. I complemented the water and sky with ready-made mosaic tiles in blue shades.

Now you can make a mosaic from anything, even from torn pieces of colored paper, even from egg shells. This is my first work in this style. I still haven’t gotten tired of it myself; it hangs on the wall in a visible place. The technology is not complicated, it is described inside the post. And whoever is too lazy to follow the link, I can tell you that the base is painted over with acrylic (in in this case black), and a drawing is laid out on top.

Mosaic floors with simple circuits styling

In ancient times, floors were laid out from small tiles not only with complex ornaments, but also completely simple patterns. Look - just a few colors - for example, white and black, laid out not solidly, but at certain intervals, so that the concrete base is visible. In this example it is pink.

kapitankukan in Mosaic courtyard on Fontanka

For some reason, everyone thinks that St. Petersburg courtyards are entirely gloomy and shabby, but in fact there are great exceptions!
Not far from the Neva, on the Fontanka embankment, I walked into this courtyard purely by chance!

and nearby, on Liteiny, sakura blossoms!)

For those who love theoretical material, I copied the information about this courtyard:

On Tchaikovsky Street there is a small courtyard that hides from random passers-by. It is not included in standard guides to the Northern capital, perhaps this is precisely the reason why St. Petersburg residents love this unusual corner shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow so much. The mosaic courtyard is the creative laboratory of Vladimir Lubenko. The Small Academy of Arts is located here. Vladimir Vasilyevich, together with his charges, turned an unremarkable yard into a fairy tale. The Honored Artist of Russia and his students gave the city an extraordinary beautiful place, where everyone can spend time for their own pleasure. The courtyard is decorated with mosaics made of multi-colored glass - as if by magic magic wand benches, curbs and small sculptures sparkled with new colors. Those who came here for the first time involuntarily remember the great Antonio Gaudi - the pride of Catalonia, one of the most unusual architects of the 20th century, whose name is written in golden letters in the history of world architecture. And some people imagine the brush of the famous Austrian Friedrich Hundertwasser. The objects filling the courtyard have different storylines, but most often there are figures of people, angels and lions. The works have a clear humanistic orientation and make you not only look, but also think. Vladimir Lubenko and his team do not think of stopping there; there are still many plans ahead for the improvement of St. Petersburg. There are still enough places in the city that can be transformed beyond recognition, to which you need to add a drop of color so that passers-by will finally pay attention to them. It should be noted that these cultural events are not financed externally. The mosaic patio is a kind of act goodwill, impulse pure art, devoid of any material claims. Brothers from American and European schools often visit the Small Academy of Arts to evaluate the endeavors of their Russian colleagues.

Few local residents know about this place in St. Petersburg. It is not included in the list of tourist places and does not claim great fame at all. This is an ordinary St. Petersburg courtyard. Or is it still not quite ordinary? Against the backdrop of shabby urban everyday life, this courtyard plays with the bright colors of multi-colored mosaics, which are carefully laid out in bizarre shapes for local benches, flower beds and even a children's playground. Thanks to selfless caring hands this courtyard is filled with atmosphere a real fairy tale with a very complex, but definitely very good plot.

The fate of this yard could have turned out completely differently if a unique school for teenagers and youth, called the “Small Academy of Arts,” founded by the artist Vladimir Lubenko, had settled in its crooked alleys.

Thanks to the creator of the school and its students, these incredible creations appeared. The first exhibits of this makeshift museum under open air appeared a couple of decades ago and since then the collection has been constantly replenished, fortunately there are still plenty of free walls in the yard.

It seems that the residents of the local entrances are not at all against such a neighborhood. Bright colors mosaics dilute the typical St. Petersburg grayness and create an unusual cheerful atmosphere in the courtyard space.

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Here, every corner is used as a canvas on which the flight of imagination of the artists paints an incredible plot. It is noteworthy that the mosaic paintings are not made in a plane, but in the form of bas-reliefs, further enhancing perception.

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The mosaic courtyard is amazing place! The motley surroundings transport you to distant sunny Barcelona, where you can find many similar places created by the brilliant Gaudi, who, as you know, loved to use mosaics in his creations. Agree, it is very similar to the world-famous Gaudi lizard that greets visitors in Park Güell.

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The courtyard is located away from the noisy city avenues and therefore it is surprisingly calm inside. Here you can happily sit on amazing benches that you will not see anywhere else in the world, and dream about something pleasant while contemplating the bright ornaments.

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It is completely impossible to understand what this or that figure represents, and this further enhances, in a good qualitative sense, the similarity with the works of Antonio Gaudi.

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Some sculptures are still quite understandable. Like, for example, this wonderful sundial, decorated with the signs of the Zodiac.

Mosaic sculpture complex "Angels"

The sculptural and mosaic group “Angels” are miniature sculptures, no more than 30 cm from ground level, and this already evokes the association of birds walking around the city. “Angels” add tenderness, intimacy and subtlety to the monumental ensemble of the mosaic courtyard. And their intricate portraits interest every museum guest.

Mosaic panel "St. Petersburg - Olympus of Culture"

This is the main mosaic panel in this open-air museum, covering an area of 64 square meters. m, made by monumental artist Vladimir Lubenko. The mosaic canvas is dedicated to our city and important milestones in his heroic story, rich cultural heritage. An entire wall of the house presents a single picture, admiring the purity and brightness of color, the richness of images and the combination of material textures. Mosaic panel “St. Petersburg – Olympus of Culture” - favorite place for holiday photo shoots.

Top view

Mosaic Olympics from a bird's eye view

Panel "Birth of Spring"

This author’s mosaic canvas fully reflects the painting “The Birth of Spring” by Vladimir Lubenko. This multi-figure composition which reveals different images people, and stops the viewer’s gaze on what usually escapes absent-minded attention. The heroes of the mosaic picture, of monumental size, concentrated in their movements, create a fascinating graphic of lines of figures and trees, like hieroglyphs showing the rhythm of nature.

Sculptural mosaic composition "Children at Play"

From simple square shapes This sculptural mosaic composition creates an extraordinary movement of the heroes, the characters in the “Children at Play” mosaic. It is very interesting to watch these “children”, noticing the peculiarities of relationships, tracing the history of their development, seeing what everyone strives for - the mosaic characters seem very natural, alive. Such wealth different images, whose relationships are observed by the viewer, teaches complicity, tolerance and complementation in everyday life.

Panel "Hello City"

"Sundial"

Panel "Dance"

Facade of the "Small Academy of Arts - Vladimir Lubenko School"

The facade of the Small Academy of Arts - Vladimir Lubenko School is decorated with mosaics, including the Mosaic coat of arms of Russia, a double-headed eagle. The facade of the Vladimir Lubenko School is also marked with bas-reliefs and sculptural groups, giving a new semantic coloring to this part of the open-air museum.

Panel "Builders"

This mosaic continues to reveal the holistic concept of the entire mosaic museum through the “Builders” panel. Thanks to the clearly defined tone, the mosaic is very promising and real, as if what is happening on this panel is nearby - directly next to the viewer.

Children's gaming complex"Mosaic Olympic"

Sculptural mosaic composition "Plasma of Life" or "Rainbow"

This constructive solution The open-air museum surprises with a variety of color accents woven into a single openwork sculptural mosaic composition. The symmetrical arch is crowned with a rainbow. And the viewer’s gaze involuntarily rises to this rainbow, following the heroes of the images living in the flows of the bends of this sculpture.

Quiet rest area

Mosaic "Lions"

The ensemble guarding the courtyard space consists of 4 lions, which, like ancient sphinxes, guard the most important treasure in the center of the square. These 4 sculptural mosaic giants convey the power and grandeur of the forces of nature, connected into one continuous chain. Also, this part of the mosaic ensemble is a quiet relaxation area for those walking in the interactive museum “St. Petersburg - Olympus of Culture” by Vladimir Lubenko.

Frieze for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg

This mosaic, like a timeline of the city on the Neva, was prepared for the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. On the mosaic frieze one can easily guess the outlines and heroes of St. Petersburg, which unfold along the facade of the house.

Frieze "Nils with wild geese"

Sculptural and mosaic complex "Atlanta"

Monumental sculptures, decorated with mosaics, are Atlanteans, specially created by Vladimir Lubenko for this museum. They are made in an interesting texture and are small in size, which enhances the impression of their “hugeness,” majesty and diversity.

Fountain "Mother and Child"

This composition glorifies the happiness and joy of motherhood. It is like the apotheosis of mosaic space. The idea of motherhood, of a mother protecting her child, is embodied in the mosaic fountain, which presents the sculptural group “Mother and Child” as a miracle of life and nature.

The author of this text is Zabava from Komsomolsk-on-Amur - she already wrote about the attempt and what came of it. In this article, Zabava describes his impressions of the visit and even his participation in the creation of the Mosaic Courtyard. At the same time, there is a certain category of people who do not share the general enthusiasm for this art object, but the world has never been black and white, has it?

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My acquaintance with Mosaic courtyard took place in 2012. Planning to spend a vacation in St. Petersburg in April, in January I began to study information about all the places that you can visit in this city. For this purpose, I even subscribed to several groups in social network"In contact." One of them, “Peter is Free,” talked about all the sights and events of the capital that could be visited completely free of charge.

And so, while looking through the news feed one day, I noticed a post about the Mosaic Courtyard. I was amazed by the photographs of the amazing mosaics displayed there in the open air, and I decided to definitely visit this place.

I remember that I even found it then official group mosaic courtyard and was extremely surprised that there were so few subscribers, because this place is very unusual and valuable, since it is part modern life Petersburg, its culture. Only few people know about it.

While on vacation, I stayed with a friend's family. They lived in St. Petersburg for more than 25 years. However, when I told them about visiting the Mosaic Courtyard, they were extremely surprised. They didn't know about his existence. But, first things first.

Where is the Mosaic Courtyard?

At the end of April, our meeting with the courtyard took place. On the Internet I came across the address “st. Tchaikovsky - 2/7". Exactly from the street. Tchaikovsky I went there. True, it turned out that you need to go through several courtyards deeper, but nothing, local residents immediately pointed me in the right direction.

In general, the courtyard has a second address - Fontanka River embankment - 2. Entrance there is through a gate. Once I wanted to get to the exhibition from there, but for some reason the gates were closed, and I had to go from Tchaikovsky again.

Not far from Dvorik there are such metro stations as “Chernyshevskaya”, “Nevsky Prospekt”, “Gostiny Dvor”. Those who like to walk can get there from Vosstaniya Square or, for example, Admiralteyskaya.

History of creation

“Mosaic courtyard” is what locals call this place. According to the plan of its author, Honored Artist of Russia, Vladimir Lubenko, it bears the name “Open Air Museum “St. Petersburg Olympus of Culture”. This exhibition was intended as a gift to the city. The artist created it for more than a quarter of a century, almost all of it with his own hands.

It all started in 1984, when the Vulcan teenager club opened here, in an ordinary residential building, under the leadership of Vladimir Vasilyevich. He developed his own method of teaching children. Later the club became the Small Academy of Arts. It was decided to decorate the adjacent courtyard with mosaic works.

To create unique, colorful panels, compositions and sculptures, the author used smalt, marble, ceramic tiles, and even porcelain - cups and plates. Having learned that an unusual courtyard was being created in the city center, many of its residents brought the necessary materials to the artist.

Composition

As a result of many years creative work master, a wall dedicated to the history of creation appeared in the Mosaic Courtyard Northern Capital, cute miniature angels took root, 3-meter Atlases took their place, holding the whole house on their mighty shoulders. On fine days, residents and guests of the city can find out the time by the mosaic sundial located here, on which, among other things, all the signs of the zodiac are clearly represented. Here you can also admire the light and musical fountain “Mother and Child” and relax on the lion benches.

In the central part of the courtyard there is the so-called Mosaic Olympic, represented by 64 paintings. They are illustrations for different fairy tales, legends and traditions. And all this is far from full list works that became the decoration of the courtyard.

Personally, I really liked the composition with the waterfall. Mosaic streams of water piercingly blue color flow down from the wall onto the asphalt and scatter in all directions in waves. A very mesmerizing sight.

In addition to the open-air museum, there is also an artist’s gallery, which, like the Yard itself, can be visited from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The works of V. Lubenko are also presented there.

Excursions

Excursions are often held in the Mosaic Courtyard. Its main visitors are schoolchildren and students.

Older people come here on their own and quite often do without the company of a guide, preferring to study the works presented on their own.

It is also very popular with newlyweds who come here for colorful photographs.

It seems to me that there is not a single person who could leave the Courtyard without taking at least one photo - it’s very beautiful there, and that’s why I really want to preserve a piece of this miracle in my memory and in a photograph.

My impression of the visit

A visit to the Mosaic Courtyard left an indelible impression on my soul - I have never seen such beauty. After the gray courtyards of St. Petersburg, to see this - oh, it’s worth a lot.

I remember on my first visit here, I noticed one woman preparing materials and tools for creating a mosaic, and 2 teenage girls standing next to her. It turned out that all this was intended just for them. From a conversation with her, I learned that anyone can come here and contribute to the decoration of the Courtyard, namely, make a small piece of mosaic with their own hands.

As a creative person, I was very happy about this and immediately agreed that one of these days I would come to make my own mosaic. And so, dressed for work, I came to the Mosaic Courtyard again. The same woman brought me pieces of tiles, a hammer, a spatula and a small amount of mortar. To begin with, she suggested that I lay out a sample mosaic of tiles directly on the asphalt, so that I could then transfer this finished idea to the curb. Guests in the Courtyard are allowed to decorate borders.

I sat for a while over the fragments of tiles, laying them out this way and that. As a result, I got a flame of fire - the color and shape of the pieces themselves suggested this idea to me. I asked my supervisor to look at what happened. Having received the go-ahead for work, I began decorating the border. Honestly, I don’t have the slightest, even remote, connection to repair and construction, and therefore applying the solution to the vertical surface of the border and then gluing pieces of tiles turned out to be a very difficult task for me. It probably took me half a day, at least, to make a picture measuring 30*20 cm. I was very tired, but I was satisfied.

Now there is a tiny piece of me in St. Petersburg. And if my family and I are lucky enough to visit here again, then I will definitely look into the Mosaic Courtyard and show my children this work of mine.