The “Vander Park” apartment complex in Moscow is designed as an urban ensemble consisting of eight differently shaped residential towers. All towers stand on a common 6 m high base. The composition of the towers is divided into recognizable segmented volumes that vary in terms of brick color and type of window openings. This creates the impression of a city built upwards.

The towers are rotated against each other to maximize daylighting, divided into smaller structures and clad with different coloured bricks. The result is a complex designed by de Architekten Cie. from Amsterdam that combines multiple views. Six different Hagemeister ranges were used for the façade design, which differ in texture and color: Lübeck GT, Copenhagen BA, Luca GT+FU, Weimar HS, Liverpool GT+FU and Woerden Alt GT. Five façade designs, each with a different masonry implementation, were developed using these sortings. The architects chose particularly long, narrow clinker bricks for the approximately 28,000 m² façade surfaces, with the joints between the bricks receding into the background. All other façade materials were also chosen so that they support the brick as the dominant façade material and do not compete with it. Due to the hardness of the clinker brick, it retains its color, texture and quality for centuries, so that the facades of the building ensemble will continue to appear as varied in the future as they did when they were built.

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www.hagemeister.de

The pelican is a motif that frequently appears in art. With its distinctive beak and elegant form, it appears time and again in paintings, sculptures, and illustrations. In this article, we explore the depiction of the pelican in art and its symbolic meaning across different cultures and eras.

The pelican is a popular motif not only because of its striking appearance but also because of its symbolic meaning. In many cultures, the pelican is regarded as a symbol of care, self-sacrifice, and fertility. The way it feeds its young—by giving them food from its crop—led to the belief that it nourished them with its own blood. In Christian iconography in particular, the pelican therefore represents charity: In the Middle Ages, it was believed that it fed its young in the manner described above. According to this belief, it was said to tear open its breast and nourish its young with its blood until it died. This made it a symbol of self-sacrifice, devotion, and self-sacrificing love. These qualities made it a popular motif in the visual arts from an early stage. The pelican’s versatility—sometimes depicted realistically, sometimes symbolically—allows artists to use it for both decorative and narrative purposes. The result is a motif that is both aesthetically appealing and profound in meaning.

The Pelican in Medieval and Religious Art

As mentioned earlier, the pelican is frequently found in medieval Christian art. Manuscripts, stained-glass windows, and altars often depict it in connection with representations of Christ or as an allegory for “caritas”—that is, charity. In illuminated manuscripts, the pelican is frequently depicted feeding its young—an image symbolizing Christ’s sacrifice. It can also symbolize the Passion of Christ or Jesus himself. In Fra Angelico’s “Crucifixion of Christ,” the pelican and its young are depicted directly above the crucified Christ. An example of the pelican’s depiction in book illumination is the Prayer Book of Charles the Bold, created in the 15th century. The bird’s fine details, its posture, and the depiction of its parenting behavior symbolize devotion and responsibility—core values of that era.

Renaissance and Baroque: The Pelican Comes to Life

During the Renaissance, artistic depictions shifted toward a more naturalistic approach. The pelican appeared in paintings and sculptures that emphasized precise observation of nature. In this era, the pelican was used not only as a symbol but also as an aesthetic motif. Its curved beak, elegant posture, and impressive plumage made it a popular subject for frescoes, portraits, and decorative works in aristocratic palaces.
The pelican is also frequently found in decorative painting of the Baroque and Rococo periods. These murals are often found in castles. Furthermore, pelicans are depicted alongside other native and non-native birds. Furthermore, it is a popular motif on tapestries and in paintings. The Dutch artist Melchior d’Hondecoeter, for example, is known for his paintings depicting the bird alongside other birds. He found most of his models in court menageries.