When Luis Barragan (1902-1988) left Mexico in 1931 to study architecture in Paris, he left behind the chickens and paddock fences of the hacienda where he grew up. In Paris he absorbed the tumultuous newness of modern art and architecture. Here, Le Corbusier and German modernists were his teachers. Four years later he returned to Mexico, determined to implement the new architecture he’d discovered in Europe.
Like many returning expatriate artists of his time, Barragan was expected to choose between being a modernist or a traditionalist. Instead, he chose both.
For the next 35 years he created buildings unmistakably fresh with clean lines and planar surfaces saturated with color. Yet their modesty and simple finishes recalled indigenous Mexican houses. At the entrance to Las Arboledas, for example, Barragan reinterpreted a utilitarian aqueduct and watering troughs to create a modern sculpture. He wove magenta walls and water to form a quiet prelude to this equestrian community. “Any work of architecture which does not express serenity is a mistake,” he said.
Today Luis Barragan’s work is revered by traditionalists and modernists alike, and architects from around the world come to Mexico to pay homage.
