is interesting to know that this house was published by the Architectural Record, in 1935. 10 In 1931, Barragán made a second trip to Europe, preceded by a stay in New York, which would be reflected in his later works. In Paris he personally met Le Corbusier, from whom he received letters of introduction to visit his most recent works: the Stein and Savoye villas. 11 It is therefore understandable that upon his return there was a transformation in his architectural language, where he opted for greater sobriety by abandoning the decorative elements of local roots. Thus, between 1933 and 1934, he built some houses, the most outstanding being that of Mrs. Harper de Garibi, whose roof terrace is reminiscent of the one Le Corbusier built for Carlos Beistegui's apartment in Paris. As for the painter José Clemente Orozco's house, it marks the continuation of a solid friendship established during his stay in New York, which helps to understand the influence that the famous muralist exerted on his young fellow coun- tryman, especially if we take into account some of Orozco's oil paintings and lithographs of that time. 12 A Change of City and a Transformation of Habitat In 1936 Luis Barragán's life took a turn, as his desire to have access to a greater number of clients and enter modernity led him to move to Mexico City, where the International Style was triumphing. In the first four years of his stay in the city, he built around twenty-five residential buildings, houses, and apartment buildings. In this rationalist stage, he designed works of Lecorbusian inspiration and a purely urban and commercial character for new housing developments, such as the Hipódromo-Condesa and Cuauhtémoc neighborhoods. He designed prismatic buildings, with large horizontal windows, corner windows, and elements such as the toit terrasse, and the use of modern materials within a singular sobriety and economy of means. As for the interiors, it strived for greater efficiency with smaller spaces, following the precepts of the "Machine for Living" for a City Environment. From that period it is interesting to point out the duplex houses, located in Parque Mexico, since they have been pre- served in good condition, in contrast to many others that have been barbarously modified or simply demolished. They occupy a single lot, so although the floor plans are simi- lar, their facades are offered individually. In the three floors with roof-terrace and large windows, the architect sought to comply with the precepts of the Swiss master. There are other houses in the Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, such as the one located on Mississippi Street, which unfortunately have suffered various interventions. It is also interesting to note in some cases where the client requires a house and a building for rent attached: that was the case of Dr. Arturo Figueroa Uriza, with a large property located in front of a park in order to have the building on the corner, kindly connected with two different sized houses. Finally, it is important to mention that within this trend he designed a second house for painter Orozco, who had moved to Mexico City. Barragán paid careful attention to offer him an 10 “Recent work of a Mexican architect: Luis Barragán”, Architectural Record, Nueva York, enero 1935. 11 Three letters signed by Le Corbusier on October 30, 1931, the first two asked Mrs. Stein and Mrs. Savoye to allow him to visit their houses, and the last one to the Cité Réfuge, are preserved in Luis Barragán's personal archive, located in his studio-home. 12 Fernando González Gortázar apuntó esta influencia en “Tres arqui- tectos mexicanos”, México en el arte, Nº 4, México, 1984. P. 52. Sobre este tema ver también Louise Noelle, “Orozco y la arquitectura”, José Clemente Orozco: otras claves, nuevas lecturas, Zapopan, El Colegio de Jalisco, 2011.
Q Luis Barragán, Casas Duplex, 1936, México D.F. Fachada
de las dos casas hacia el parque. Q Luis Barragán,
Duplex Houses, 1936, Mexico City. Facade of the two houses facing the park.
Q Planta Casas Duplex. Q Casas Duplex plan.
104 ←
AOA / n°49
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator