Anna Yur’evna Mainicheva,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design and Arts Named after A.D. Kryachkov, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Color Environment of Siberian Cities in the 17th − Early 18th Centuries
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-1-16
The article presents the results of research of the color of the urban environment during the period of the rooting of Russian culture in Siberian lands, with the active use of imported traditions and the formation of new ones adapted to the conditions of Siberia. It is established that, although a separate direction exists that can be conditionally called the ethnography of color, the study of the color characteristics of settlements, buildings, and structures has been overlooked by ethnographers. The application of an environmental approach using a reliable source base formed from documents of the 17th − early 18th centuries, such as census and copy books, testimonies of service people, and letters of clergy, made it possible to consider the relationship of spaces and objects with the environment, people, and the cultural and historical context. Methods of historical sciences, case studies, content analysis, ethnographic methods of direct observation, as well as the principles of neuro art and neuro methodology were used as well. For the first time, characteristic features of the color palette of Siberian cities of the 17th − early 18th centuries were identified, including contrasting and nuanced combinations of natural and man-made objects; changes in color and its accents in the man-made landscape, visually highlighting the city center with color. It is established that the Siberian construction of Russian cities followed the traditions of European Russia, where stone architecture had been known since the early Middle Ages, and converged with it, moving in line with the main architectural trends. Preferences in the use of a color palette based on the color properties of natural materials. Limitations were associated with a shortage of materials and specialists, and technology. Stone construction not only reflected status but served as an indicator of the development of new lands. The ability to reproduce building traditions in new territories, including the use of color, served as a marker of adaptation. White stone construction was an indicator of the development of new lands. The development of Siberian cities in the 17th and early 18th centuries and thir color schemes reproduced the traditions of the color environment of Russian cities in a new location.
Publishing: 28/02/2026
The article has been received by the editor on 10/11/2025
How to cite: Mainicheva A.Yu. Color Environment of Siberian Cities in the 17th − Early 18th Centuries // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 1 (45), pp. 195−208. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-1-16.pdf]
Links: Issue 1 2026
Keywords: Siberian city; color environment; color palette; cultural landscape; adaptation