Modern Architecture in Latin America

Interest in the architecture of Latin America is experiencing a major revival, with new scholarship and museum exhibitions receiving critical and popular acclaim. A particularly welcome addition is Luis Carranza and Fernando Lara's Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia. This generously illustrated volume offers readers a sharp analysis of the region's greatest (and most controversial) experiments with modern architecture.The core of the book spans a period of 100 years, from 1903 to 2003. More traditional scholars maintain that the 1920s marked the arrival of modern architecture in Latin America. For Carranza and Lara, however, modern architecture is a broad category that includes not only art deco, late century eclecticism, and other styles but also painting, sculpture, city planning, landscape design, and an array of technical, historical, and ideological concerns that extend beyond the previously proposed periodization. To hold these different yet related domains together—and to provide readers with a coherent analytical framework to interpret such a wide range of cultural and material developments—the authors structure their book around a “navigational system” centered on three themes: art, technology, and utopia (p. 6). This open-ended structure allows readers to consume the book chronologically, regionally, or thematically.For the sections on art, Carranza and Lara explore the rich dialogue between architects and artists in such buildings as the Secretaría de Educación Pública, where Diego Rivera gave visual form to José Vasconcelos's raza cósmica; El Eco Experimental Museum, by Mathias Goeritz; the elite homes designed by Luis Barragán and Max Cetto in El Pedregal; and several university campuses throughout the region. Influential texts from the Chilean architect-trained artist Roberto Matta, publications such as Martín Fierro from Argentina and Pampulha from Brazil, and artistic installations by Hélio Oiticica and Jesús Rafael Soto are also examined. Central to this theme is the tension between local concerns and international influence, especially in relation to the role of artists and architects in the formation (and critique) of national identities.Under the theme of technology, attention is given to the means and methods of production, including innovative construction techniques and the use of materials such as reinforced concrete. Several iconic and not-so-iconic projects are discussed, among them Oscar Niemeyer's undulating buildings, João Batista Vilanova Artigas's brutalism, and Wladimiro Acosta's Vivienda y ciudad, which highlights the relationship between ecology, leisure, and urban life. Barragán's penchant for integrating volcanic stone into his designs as well as the formal differences between the Carioca and Paulista schools are also considered. Evident from these entries is that local architects were able to create audacious forms, but their aspirations to practice a socially minded architecture were often undercut by technological limitations. Unable to make modern architecture affordable, many architects opted to design flashy buildings that catered to middle- and upper-class residents.For the entries on utopia, the authors explore attempts to improve the living and working conditions of the region's inhabitants. These would include several utopian master plans and pioneering educational endeavors such as Lúcio Costa's tenure as director of the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro and La Escuelita in Argentina under the military dictatorship. Public housing projects such as Mario Pani's Multifamiliares in Mexico City and Proyecto Experimental de Vivienda (PREVI) in Lima are closely investigated. Innovative transportation solutions including Bogotá's TransMilenio and cable cars in low-income neighborhoods are lauded by the authors. While the book tends to celebrate modern architecture, the authors also discuss the dark underside of the modernist ideology. They acknowledge a tendency toward absolute control, the often cozy relationship between architects, planners, and authoritarian regimes, and how top-down efforts to reshape the city tend to have a negative impact on the lives of the urban working poor.Carranza and Lara conclude their survey with “provocations” (p. 351). They argue that the themes that defined modern architecture in Latin America over the last century have lost their relevance and that a new set of concerns is emerging. The authors forecast that in the twenty-first century architecture in Latin America will be guided by what they call materiality, social awareness, and conceptual design. Through these themes, the authors highlight several gravity-defying creations of a new generation of architects, greater regional integration and exchange, a targeted approach to urban interventions, and Latin America's contribution to a radical rethinking of the profession. Ultimately, the authors still have faith in modern architecture to solve some of the region's most enduring challenges. An additional hope is that in the years ahead the profession will also continue to diversify to include traditionally underrepresented groups, especially women. Although there are some important exceptions, such as Lina Bo Bardi, the last century was largely dominated by men of relative wealth and privilege.As a whole, Modern Architecture in Latin America is a major achievement, both in its scope and in its depth. It is sure to entice newcomers and keep the experts inspired

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Eclecticism · Elite · Exhibition · Humanities · Ideology · Latin Americans · Periodization · Political science · Politics · Scholarship · Sculpture · Utopia · Visual arts · Architecture · History · Latin American Urban Studies · Philosophy