The monograph consists of two parts, corresponding to the periods of the life and work of Nikolai Vasiliev: Russian and American - the first was written by Vladimir Lisovsky, a doctor of art history, and the second by Richard Gachot, a professor at the University of Texas. Actually, the original work of Gachot about Vasiliev initiated the appearance of this publication. And if much was known about the architect's work in his homeland before, then information about his life after emigration in Russian is published for the first time.
In his part of the monograph, Vladimir Lisovsky consistently describes the St. Petersburg period of the architect Vasiliev. For the architect in the capital, everything was more than successful: he received his education first at the Institute of Civil Engineers, and then at the workshop of Leonty Benois, and began working successfully immediately after receiving his diploma. The work in the office of the Empress Mary's institutions was not too burdensome, brought in a stable income and allowed him to focus on participating in all kinds of architectural competitions. Competitive design became the leitmotif of Nikolai Vasiliev's work: in a relatively short period in St. Petersburg, he managed to take part in dozens of competitions, often becoming their prize-winners. And for the project of the cathedral mosque, which was subsequently implemented, the architect received two first prizes. And although, in general, the activities of Nikolai Vasiliev in these years were sufficiently well studied by researchers of architecture, Vladimir Lisovsky, with his work, introduces a number of new facts into scientific circulation. One of the most talented and original architects of pre-revolutionary Russia is for the first time so fully represented to a wide audience.
The second half of the book, written by Richard Gachot, is devoted to the life and work of Vasiliev in the States. America did not welcome the emigrant Vasiliev with open arms. In contrast to Russia, where the most free times reigned for architecture in the 1910-1920s, in the United States, architectural activity was subordinated to tough capitalist requirements. The first place of work for Vasiliev was the Warren & Wetmore firm, where he worked as a visualizer from 1923 to 1931. The elementary need to earn a living forced Vasiliev to take on jobs that did not correspond to the level of his talent - Gachot does not hide this. It should be noted that the author generally pays much more attention to the description of the environment in which the architect found himself. Smooth Petersburg biography, supported by articles from the Zodchiy magazine, in this part of the monograph is contrasted with action-packed sketches and passages in the spirit of Limonov's Eddie.
However, even despite all the everyday and financial difficulties of life in America, Vasiliev did not abandon his main passion - competitive design. Perhaps the most breathtaking creative pivot an architect has experienced in the United States is his appeal to modernism. And the fact that an already middle-aged, accomplished master has found the strength to radically revise his own creative style is truly amazing. In the 1930s, Vasiliev successfully participated in a number of competitions for modernist buildings - Gachot tells about each of these competitions and the projects developed for them in the most detailed and exciting way.
