Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s House-Studio is one of the most important cultural landmarks in Mexico City, for being the place of residence and work of two of the most important artists in the 20th Century, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, as well as for being the first construction of the modern movement built in the American continent.
This construction, built in 1931 by the architect Juan O’Gorman, represented the breaking of every aesthetic paradigm in Mexican architecture up to that time, strongly incorporating the most forward theories and thoughts which architects like Le Corbusier were developing simultaneously in Europe. Thoughts like the rational use of materials, the analysis of each space’s function and the adjustment of each space to the activities that took place within it; ideas that were radical in the beginning but that, with time, were taken in by architecture all around the world.
This building was designed and constructed based upon the 5 points proposed by Le Corbusier: structure supported by pilotis, open floor plan, free façade, roof garden (to compensate the green area consumed by the building) and long strips of windows; but it’s also a Mexican house with strong colours, textured floors and a cactus fence. It’s an honest house that shows us its steel skeleton, its pipes, its staircases, its economic materials; it’s a house that could be in any town, not afraid of letting us know it’s a factory, a machine for living, an art machine in which Diego and Frida produced an aesthetic world nurtured by Mexico, its history, its people, its problems and its biggest dreams.
This interesting space is composed by two blocks or main houses, a red one that represents Diego Rivera and a blue one, Frida Kahlo, both joined by a bridge, a bond of passion between them. Within them we can see their bedrooms, their workshops and other spaces that have been visited by characters like André Bretón, María Félix, Pablo Neruda, Dolores Del Río, Nelson Rockefeller and Lázaro Cárdenas, among others.
Since 1986 this House-Studio has been open to the public, showing how these two artists used to live and work. It’s a must-see place for art and architecture lovers who are visiting the city.
I find these two houses so interesting because of the bright colors, numerous windows, and especially the bridge, which describes their relationship.
ReplyDelete-Jessica Smith-
I like how they are 2 different colors representing Diego and frieta.
ReplyDelete- hannah hurt
I think it's interesting how their houses reflect their constant animosity. They clearly loved each other but still had hate for each other.
ReplyDelete-Katherine Strickland
I find it interesting how their houses are a representation of not only them as individuals, but also a bridge that represents the bond the have between them even in the midst of their individuality.
ReplyDelete-Stephany Ramdin
I like the bridge in between the houses and i also like how the windows are shaped and placed
ReplyDelete-Kendall Friar
out of the two houses the thing that i find the most interesting is simply the fact that there's a bamboo fence but i guess thats just my ADHD
ReplyDelete-Cullen Cummings
they had hate for each other but their houses are connected by a bridge. i did not understand that- Chance Yeatts
ReplyDeleteIts cool how they connect the house by a bridge thats something you dont see everyday
ReplyDeleteJam Morris
I thought it look like a factory when i first saw it. The idea of a factory of art is cool.
ReplyDelete-McKenzie Peterson
I think its interesting that they used two houses to show the characteristics of each artist as well as their relationship to each other -Savannah P
ReplyDeleteIts interesting how different the two houses look. I thought it was interesting that they lived in two separated homes but it was connected by a bridge.
ReplyDeleteMiller Durham
I think it's interesting because the houses are so different and they represent their relationship. The bridge represents their bond they have together, but the separate houses represent the hatred they have for each other. -Maisyn Samples
ReplyDeleteI like how there is a walkway connecting the two houses. It shows that their relationship is connected by a single bond.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey Smith
wow this describes them so well. colorful. everything is so intricate.
ReplyDelete-lauren lowery
i lik how teh houses are conected by a bridge
ReplyDeletepierce reaves
the houses are really unique and cool.
ReplyDeleteMichael Durham
The houses look kind of industrial, that things have an order and a place, but then again the houses are differnt and go outside the norm of society.
ReplyDeleteI find these two building similar in one way but different by color and design. -Caitlin Collins
ReplyDeleteMy favorite feature about these two houses is the bridge connecting them.
ReplyDelete-Hannah Davis
this house is absolutly WONDERFUL
ReplyDeletebeck muse