The Alhambra and contemporary architecture
Emotionalism of Luis Barragán So, although there are many verifiable Islamic references in the work of the Swiss-French genius, some of which are closely linked to the Alhambra, much deeper is the imprint left by this on some of his colleagues, the epitome of which is, undoubtedly, Luis Barragán.10 The Mexican, whose surname is Moorish in origin,11 travelled to Europe after finishing his studies, from 1924 to 1925, and ended up in France, where he got to know the work of Ferdinand Bac and his Villa Les Colombières project in the vicinity of Menton, property of Émile and Caroline LadanBokairy; and in Spain, particularly in Granada, where although he was impressed by the beauty of the gardens in most European cities, he was especially captivated by those in the south, including the Generalife, which sparked his enormous interest in landscape.12 This was a stay that he would repeat in 1931, when he visited the previously mentioned work on the Costa Azul and got to know its creator personally; and between 1952 and 1953, when he travelled to Morocco, down as far as the northern Sahara, to tour the kasbahs. On his first trip, he acquired some recently published books, amongst which were two by Bac: Jardins enchantés. Un romancero [Enchanted gardens. A Ballad],13 a personal version of one of the stories from One thousand and one nights, of which he bought more than half a dozen copies (from a print run of less than a hundred) to give away on his return, demonstrating the enormous impact it had on him; and Les Colombières. Ses jardins et ses décors [Les Colombières. Its gardens and decorations],14 a monograph on Bac’s design for a mansion of the same name (1919-1925). According to this French writer and expert, garden architecture, which he described as “Mediterranean”, contains within it the entire universe; and its art is
10
See, amongst other publications, Emilio Ambasz (1976). The architecture of Luis Barragán [Exhibition catalogue]. New York: MoMA; and vv. aa. (1995). Barragán. Complete work. Seville: Tanais; as well as the reflections his tour of Granada by Antonio Jiménez Torrecillas (1991). “Luis Barragán visita la Alhambra”, AQ Arquitectura Andalucía Oriental, No. 7. Granada: Official School of Architects of Eastern Andalusia, pp. 142-157.
11
See Antonio Riggen (ed.) (2000). Luis Barragán. Escritos y conversaciones. Madrid: El Croquis, p. 69.
12
Ibid, p. 54, such as data specifically mentioned in the curriculum he signed for the presentation of the city of Lomas Verdes project (1968), in collaboration with Juan Sordo Madaleno.
13
Ferdinand Bac (1925). Jardins enchantés. Un romancero. Paris: Louis Conard [Calmann-Levy Prize from the French Academy].
14
Ferdinand Bac (1925). Les Colombières. Ses jardins et ses décors. Paris: Louis Conard.
171