Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes

14/01/2024. [MAD] Spain
metalocus, ANA GARCÍA LUJÁN, JORGE MARTINEZ

"Writings on architecture and architects" includes a series of texts written by José María García de Paredes since he obtained the scholarship to the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in 1955, through his study trips, which left their mark on his projects and in his references abroad, until 1990, when he was in charge of various projects for auditoriums and musical spaces due to his relationship with the musician Manuel de Falla, resulting in the Granada Auditorium.

José María García de Paredes was born in Seville in 1924, he studied at the Higher Technical School of Architecture in Madrid until 1950. However, he began his travels through Europe in 1946. He resided at the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome from 1956 to 1958, when he established his studio in Madrid. He won the Grand Prix of Rome in 1955, the National Architecture Prize in 1956 and the Gold Medal of Fine Arts in 1990.

Interior pages. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

Interior pages. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

Cover. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

Interior pages. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

The texts show the study of history by the architect to approach the projects, the knowledge about the monuments and the places in which he carried out his projects. Furthermore, he presents architecture as a social art, remembering other architects and showing his opinion.

The book is divided into five phases: «Rome», «Surveys», «Memories», «Three landscapes», «Music and Architecture». In "Roma", José María García de Paredes writes about his interest in the Academy of Rome, even before joining it; a chronology of activities during his two-year residency at the Academy of Fine Arts of Spain from March 1956 to 1958. In addition, he points out works carried out, such as the Spanish Pavilion at the XI Triennale in Milan, commissioned by the two scholarship holders of the Academy , which is why he exposes his concerns about how they introduced essential materials such as lime, ceramics and iron to represent Spain. From the construction of the pavilion, he achieved a series of contacts that opened doors to him in Europe, which, together with the means provided by the academy allowed him to travel, among many other cities, to West Germany, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, which he explains in greater detail.

Interior pages. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

In "Surveys" he collects a series of questions for each of the topics raised, which have as references magazine publications of the time, and gives his opinion on certain controversial topics at the time, such as satellite cities, the integration of the rest of the arts in architecture or the relationship between architect and architecture in political aspects.

In the next chapter called "Memories," he evokes a series of architects whom he admires for their works; Casto Fernández-Shaw, emphasizing his capacity for enthusiasm, invention, and non-conformity at 65 years old; Carlos Pascual de Lara, who mentions him as a religious artist for his global knowledge of the arts; Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza, recalling his Gold Medal for Architecture received in 1989, cites the difficulty of presenting a figure that needs no introduction and lastly, Luis Moya Blanco, identifying him as the representation of the texts of Vitruvius and Vastuvidya.

Interior pages. Writings on architecture and architects. La cimbra 19 by José María García de Paredes.

Next, he compiles three landscapes. In the first, "Neoclassical Urbanism in Madrid" highlights the Prado Museum for its pictorial riches as well as its lack of knowledge on the part of the architects, the relationship between the personality and training of Juan de Villanueva with the work he would later carry out and the evolution of the Prado. The second landscape is "Alhambra vs. Charles V", in which he presents the different opinions after the construction of the Palace of Charles V next to the Alhambra. The third, "Landscape with Ruins," reflects on the ruins that we will generate for future generations.

Finally, in "Music and Architecture" he relates both their definitions and with the architectural spaces that serve music and takes a walk through the architecture of music, such as "Il Vecchio Teatro", Promenade or "The great size of Kyiv".