As I dabble through some of my favourite design sites, and discover new ones, all in the name of research for the blog, I have come across the inspiring and ever-so-colourful work of award winning, Mexican architect Luis Barragán. I'm not sure when I last leaned on Barragan's work for inspiration, probably as early as my uni days, so there was certainly a little sensation of 'blast-from-the-past' when I, again, came across his work. More often than not I am so enthralled by new, fresh, edgy and minimalist work by young and upcoming designers from all over the globe, that I seldom dip back into the work of the classic architects that were a pillar of learning during my studies.
Barragán's work is timeless. The architecture and interiors depicted in these photos could very well be out of a publication dated from today. So many of the rules that govern beautiful design are present in his work, and it is a humble thought to consider that, when designing, we're mostly borrowing and manipulating things that have already been done in the past, rather than reinventing the wheel. Furthermore, it is mind blowing to think that the projects that appear in these photos were ones that came to life in the 20-year period between 1948 and 1968. This was post second world war, a time where the world was grimly rebuilding itself, so I think we can definitely appreciate how forward thinking Barragán's work would have been at the time.
But back to the projects depicted in these photos, what an incredible array of colour! I love the shadows cast by the geometry of the architecture in the very top-most photo here. They define their own rightful presence as design elements. And I'm far from a fan of anything gold, but in the below image the gold plated canvas seems so perfectly placed against the timid pastel colours, the hard lines of the staircase, as well as the shadows being cast all around it... all while geometrically complementing the shape of the floating work desk one floor below.
Source - pritzkerprize.com
Images courtesy of - pritzkerprize.com
See more on the official Barragan Foundation site - barragan-foundation.org
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