Natural lights

This morning we finally got a tour of the Casa Gilardi.  This is his, Luis Barragan's last work done in the 70s and was constructed at the time he had a show at the MOMA in New York. Warning: there are lots of photos here it is like candy for a color and light fanatic.
Constructed on a small street it is on a lot between two other houses.  Architects seem to do there best work when they are restrained by space.
When you walk into the house you are in a small room with indiret light and when you open the door to the next room the light is a golden from the windows that are aligned in the wall.  Very beautiful effect.



Moving from one room to the next you are welcomed by a new light experience that is ephemeral and all created by natural light coming in through windows or reflecting off of the water in the pool.


The pool is very shallow and reflects the ceiling space and the pink accentuates the differences in color.
The pool room leads out to an interior courtyard where Luis Barragan the architect used the Jacaranda tree as his focal point.  Shadows on the wall and the flat planes of color sooth the brain.
The juxtaposed color planes cause different effects.


I felt like I was in a painting.
Cactus forms and color are used so effectively.

The Jacaranda flowers are key here but it was barely in flower at this time.

This house was built as I said in the 70's so this was a real precursor to other light experiments in  architecture.


The skylight and stairs.
After leaving that spiritual experience we went to the Museo d'Arte Moderne to see a few exhibits.  This is a work by Frida Kahlo, a self portrait of how she was always struggling with a duality between her mexican roots and her european traditions.
For lunch we were invited by a friend of Jean Luc's to visit their ranch in the country north of Mexico City.  The beauty of this place and our gracious hosts treated us to a lovely afternoon.  The ranch has 3 polo fields and many horses that are trained and boarded there.  I can't tell you how delighted we were to meet Rodrigo and his wife Suzi.  They have roots in the mexican architectural renaissance of the 50's and are producers of some great award winning film coverage.

Jean Yves, Rodrigo, Jean Luc and Suzi. 
The view of the polo field from the house.
The 5 whippets were gentle and lovely to look at with their graceful forms.

Some of the polo horses that are part of the ranch.  We learned a lot about polo and how it is played.  Graceful animals

Jean Luc making a friend.
 

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