A handwritten sketch with an autograph (with a tree). Fedor Shechtel

Fyodor Shechtel is a Russian architect, painter and graphic artist, set designer.

Shechtel did not receive a full-fledged architectural education, after moving to Moscow, he worked a lot, including illustrating the stories of the young Chekhov, and also took care of his sick mother, which left him no time to study. Despite this, Shechtel became the most sought-after architect of his time.

Shechtel's buildings are usually attributed to the Art Nouveau direction. Architectural modernity abandons classical architectural principles (columns, symmetry, etc.) in favor of natural shapes and smooth lines. Also for Schechtel, he gravitated towards architectural historicism, that is, the use of aesthetics or individual elements of architectural styles of the past. For example, in the building depicted in the sketch we see lancet windows, which refers to Gothic architecture.