CONTACT

For more information about or purchasing of specific images, please do not hesitate to contact the photographer directly.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Biography

Nathan Stowell was born in Hartford, Connecticut but grew up in Maryland and graduated from Episcopal High School before receiving his B.A. from Trinity College in Russian Language and Literature. He moved for work to Russia in 1996 and was a resident in Moscow for 20 years before relocating to Los Angeles in 2017. He started taking pictures in high-school and enjoys shooting architecture and landscape images. The Moscow Metro project was conceived in 2010 as a series on symmetry in architecture. Nathan continues shooting new stations each year.

1935 - 1956

The Stalin Years

The metro opens and Stalin's personal desires to show Soviet grandeur and achievement result in magnificent design and construction innovation. Deep pylon and column style platforms distinguish this period.

1956 - 1991

The Cold War Era

In the years from Khruschev to Gorbachev, stations saw a shift away from extravagance and grandeur to utility and function. Shallow-column and single vault designs mark this period as Moscow city and the metro both expand.

1991 - PRESENT DAY

The Post Soviet Years

The collapse of the Soviet Union ushers in a return to originality and artistic influence as new lines open and stations appear beyond city limits utilizing new means of expression.

Categorizing Stations of the Moscow Metro

The Metro's history and development are as storied and reflective of the city and country that the metro serves. In compiling an image collection and examining the stations virtually or in person, there are many possible ways to categorize the stations (by name, line, design/type), but the most effective way in understanding their significance and the influences behind them is to divide them according to the era during which they were built. There are three main periods in metro development.

STATION TYPES

Elektrozavodskaya station of the Moscow metro

A WORKING MONUMENT

Highlighting Architecture

The Moscow metro is an extraordinary architectural monument comprised of over 200 stations, each bragging unique history, location, construction and design. Over four million passengers ride it every day, all too often neglecting to marvel at the visual splendor of the stations they enter into, pass through or exit from. The photographer of these images spent six years capturing platform views late at night in order to depict stations' symmetry, shapes and colors in compositions uninterrupted by passenger or tourist.