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MANIFESTO IN FAVOR OF A MADI-LUDICO ARCHITECTURE
The
MADI Movement was
founded by Carmelo Arden Quin, a painter/poet born In 1913 in Rivera, Uruguay, a
town which straddles the Brazilian border. On
August 3, 1946, at the French Institute for Higher Learning in Buenos Aires,
Arden Quin read to the public the document which launched the MADI movement, a
manifesto whose essential premises in the field of painting were, first, a
breaking away from the Renaissance window whether square or
rectangular and second, the systematization of polygonal forms with cut-out
or irregularly shaped frames. A further proposal was the production of
articulated and mobile structures, forms which could be applied to painting,
sculpture and architecture. With
the arrival of Arden Quin In Paris in 1948, MADI took root in Europe and, in the
nearly half‑century of this new phase of its existence, the movement has
never ceased to explore the mysteries of artistic creation and to swell Its
ranks with new converts to Its principles. MADI's generous contributions to the
constructivist, kinetic and op-art movements have influenced numerous,
internationally-acclaimed artists such as Vasarely, Jesus Soto, Frank Stella,
Ellsworth Kelly, Agam, and Pol Bury, among others. From
Its beginning, MADI defined itself as being, above all, a ludico or whimsical movement, thus emphasizing the primordial
Importance of play in the creative process. In
this context, the French critic Dominique Jacquemin noted that "it is
possible that his passion for the whimsical caused Arden Quin to create MADI,
the only artistic movement which can today pride Itself on possessing meaningful
coherence and activity." As
the end of the 20th century approaches, MADI has more than 69 members working in
France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Japan, the United States and different
countries in Latin America. What
causes an ever-increasing number of artists to adhere to the MADI principles?
According to Roger Neyrat, an "historical" Madiste and a member of the
French branch of the movement since the 50s, "The exterior or interior
decoupage (the concept of the polygon) offers each work its own spatial Identity
rather than a standardized, colored surface and modifies the environment In
which it has been placed, thus, at the same time, offering (to the architect)
unlimited resources of
movement and play of
light." Already, Neyrat was alerting us to the fact that, "With MADI a
window becomes something other than a commonplace opening onto a
landscape." Always
young, Inventive and innovative at the age of 84, Arden Quin has finally been
recognized as one of the great masters of contemporary painting. For
certain American critics, the work Arden Quin showed In the exhibition
"Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century" at New Vork's MONA
in 1993 was an unexpected revelation. In New
York Magazine, Kay Larson writes, "One real find: Carmelo Arden Quin's
wonderfully quirky fantasy constructions like Klee in three
dimensions on flat pieces of wood." Amei Wallach in the
Boston Globe, goes further: " ... Carmelo Arden Quin (Uruguay, born
1913), who, starting in the 40s, constructed sleek energetic sculptures and
irregularly shaped paintings out of curved and angled geometric forms ... Most
of us simply didn't know this work existed. Who suspected that In the 50s, while
we North Americans were congratulating ourselves on having moved the center of
the world art from Paris to New York with our rambunctious new abstract
expressionism, down in Latin America there were artists one-upping Russian
constructivism by shaping their canvases and playing rhythmic games with color
and stealing the march on what we, years later, would claim as minimalism." In
1951 after I joined Arden Quin In his MADI adventure, we created a loosely-formed
association in his Montparnasse atelier at 23 rue Froldevaux the MADI
Research and Study Center." From 151 to 197, this center functioned as an
avant‑garde laboratory, a mini‑Bauhaus where members of the movement
met to work together and show the results of' their experiments. The "tout
Paris" of the art world came to visit us there, the Americans Sam Francis
and Joan Mitchel; the French Herbin, Calder, Nicolas Schoffer,
Marcelle Cahn, Delmarle, Nicolas de
Stael; the Portuguese Vieira da Silva and her Brazilian husband Murilo Mendes;
the Belgian Vantongerloo; the Venezuelans Soto, Debourg, Otero; the Cubans
Wifredo Lam and Sandu Darie the Argentine Alicia Penalba; and Innumerable
others, all deeply interested in our research and Innovations.3 Thus,
for more than 49 years, Arden Quin and I have shared the same vision of artistic
creation and plastic values, those of polygonal and ludico
or playful structures. Starting In 1996, I began to apply to architecture
the principles which Arden Quin had set out In his Manifesto of 1946; I took a
50-year-old dream and transformed It Into the design for a MADI building. Like
the American professor and architect Gavin Macrae-Gibson 4, I believe that most
modern architects either are unaware of or simply reject the concept of
integrating poetry into their work. To some extent, this situation Is due to the
confining nature of the real estate market. A more overriding reason, however,
may be the monumental megalomania of our world leaders, all wishing to leave
behind their personal "pyramid." And to this cocktail, add the egos of
the architects themselves, and all remnants of
true poetry are lost. In
Vienna at the beginning of the century, Adolfo Loos declared war on
all forms of decoration. In his eyes, ornamentation constituted "an
aesthetic crime."4 In
Oriental, Islamic and pre-Colombian cultures, on the other hand, no distinction
is made between decoration and art. No valid reason exists for such aesthetic
opposition. What
better example than that of Matisse? For him, the double aspects of Islamic art,
abstraction and decoration were totally integrated into his work, and from
this decisive influence evolved his pure colors applied on flat surfaces. And
what other name can be given to his sinuous lines than arabesques? On the
one hand, Matisse sought to express lust and super-abundance in a decorative
style, and, on them other, affirmed, "It is indispensable, all of one's
life, to preserve a child's fresh and innocent reaction to the things of this
world." Through their decorative language, creators like Matisse, Miro and
Calder succeed In easing our daily angst. If
we must choose a utopia, I firmly advocate
one whose architectural joie de vivre serves as an antidote to the dismal
greyness gnawing at the walls of our cities. Already In 1489 in his book De
re aedeificatortia, the Italian architect, sculptor, musician and humanist
Leon Battista Alberti set out the following objectives for architecture: comoditas
y voluptas, (comfort and voluptuousness). Arden
Quin also gave us an ethical goal to which MADI artists adhere: search out our
precursors in order to recognize and celebrate their influence on our work, for
memory serves to integrate the past into the present, thus bringing our
predecessors into the dimension of a continual presence. And when I say memory,
I must add to the faculties of reviving Impressions and retaining a
consciousness of the past, the treasures stored in our subconscious which can
speak to us uniquely through art and poetry. I
have already alluded to the joy transmitted to me in the fields of painting and
sculpture by the works of Matisse, Miro and Calder. Each one expresses their
jubilation In an exceptionally personal manner. At the dawn of
the third millennium, I
would like to propose the rehabilitation of architecture through a specifically
MADI language, i.e., through the splendor of
ornamentation and through a
revival of decoration's "lettres de noblesse." We
might, for example, return the rank of nobility to dynamic linear movement, to
asymmetry, to flexibility, and to curvilinear emphasis, all of which were
bequeathed to us by Art Nouveau, a
movement which still delights us with its clear sensuality. The Germans call
it Jugendstil, "the style of
youth." Catalan architects, using the
name Modenismo, built Barcelona's most memorable palaces and public
buildings. The
Paris Metro stations designed by Hector Guimard;Victor Horta's Tassel House;
Hoffmann's Stoclet Palace; Van de Velde's furniture and decoration In Brussels,
and, later, the discovery of the work of the Scottish architect
Mackintosh fascinated me in the way the fairy tales of
my In
addition to prolonging and enriching the concept of Art Nouveau this "work of memory" proposes to rehabilitate
that spectacular grouping of geometric forms known as Art
Deco, with its brilliant arches and circles, its polychromatic zigzags, its
aerodynamic design, and its extraordinary optimism. A
basic difference, of course, separates this sumptuous type of geometry from that
defended by the functionalists and minimalists. According to the
them, Art Nouveau, Deco, etc. were contaminated by a dangerous virus called
fantasy, which, In turn, opened the doors to other disorders such as sensitivity
and imagination. This use of geometric form has been labelled as baroque, a term
obviously employed in its most pejorative sense. Baroque is viewed as a synonym
for the bizarre, for garishness, for excessiveness. Often, these observations
are correct, but baroque art Is also characterized by the liberty of its forms
and by its utilization of the twin effects caused by light and movement. To
avoid misunderstanding, the architecture engendered by the MADI-LUDICO style will hereafter be referred to as exuberant,"
rather than baroque. According to the (French) Robert Dictionary, the root words
for exuberant are exuberant, meaning
abundance, and uber meaning fertile. Exuberance
thus shares an analogous relationship with such feelings as rejoicing,
plenitude, generosity, enthusiasm, fecundity, and happiness. "It Is, in
fact, impossible to find a negative sense for
a word overflowing with connations of life. Already
in the 7th century B.C., Greek art was characterized
by such forms as lozenges, triangles, meanders circles and triangles and Is
known to us today as the "Geometric Age." By
going deeper into our own psyche, we will find those same straight lines,
zigzags, curves, diagonals, and spirals whose passages have been played out in
subliminal but nonetheless clamorous symphonies from the beginning of time,
forms already apparent in that art we erroneously refer to as
"primitive." In
November of 1996, thanks to a commission from Bill and Dorothy Masterson of
Dallas, Texas, I began to work on the design for a MADI-LUDICO building, employing the same methods I had previously used in
my tri-dimensional reliefs, collages, and sculptures. Cesar Lopez-Osornio
describes my work as follows: "Without apparent order and with no
preliminary sketches, as though playing a game .. establishing before the first
cut of line or form a random and spatial dynamic ... multiplying the formal
richness as the plane surface takes form, bending inward or outward ... becoming
at once an addition and a subtraction of straight lines, grooves cuts, circles,
semicircles and curve segments that flow finely, freely and naturally ... each
one a spatial echo of the other."6 From
the outset, this project was addressed to those for whom neither Functionalism, Retrospectivism Neoclassicism, Post-Modernism High Tech nor other competing tendencies could "fill
the emptiness we feel in our modern cities."4 For
those thus frustrated, I would like to propose a building which speaks for and
by itself. A building which forces us Into contemplation, which surprises,
captives, and amuses us and leaves us with a sudden and fixed idea: I must
live there, I must York there. The sight alone of the edifice should provide
the viewer with a feeling of well-being which leads to an instinctive certainty:
There, my Interior life will be enriched. Gavin
Macrae-Gibson speaks of "the secret life Of buildings."4 Some possess
a radiant, equally important "Public life," the first pleasure of
which can be found in the simple act of going to visit them. Examples of these
types of buildings are set out above. I myself find the same joyful spirit in
the seductive polychromy of the villages and towns of the West Cork region of
Ireland. Along country roads, and even more so in urban areas where one house is
joined to the next, there are varied and wonderfully colored facades. (See
Illustration, page 17). This is a country of steady rain and heavy gales, but
when the weather clears and the fog moves on, the walls of even the most modest
house glow with vibrant color. It
Is this feeling of well-being which I would like MADI-LUDICO architecture and
its polychromous walls to evoke, both in its visitors and its residents. MADI-LUDICO
architecture presupposes a renewal of
interior space, of design, and of craftsmanship, for example, in the making of
cabinets, wrought‑iron, stained glass, tapestries, ceramics, in the
moulding of precious metals, etc.; it also encourages the creation of totally
new forms of interior furnishings. The
MADI-LUDICO
movement could serve as an inspiration and stepping‑off point for a
new generation of artisans ready to work according to the old Bauhaus dream of
total integration of arts and crafts and the so-called "pure arts. " The
building presented here also meets one of the major requirements of today's real
estate market, i.e., maximum use of land surface, In this case, a rectangular or
nearly square lot. The plan was drawn up to demonstrate that, even within such
strict limits, it is possible to build a structure which remains faithful to
both MADI concepts and my own personal style of strictly polygonal design,
geometric forms with sharply defined colors and contours, 3‑dimensional
surfaces, a clearly "ludico" or whimsical spirit, all of the foregoing
expressed within a context of exterior and Interior surfaces playing against
each other through rich variations In light provided by the multi-formed wall
openings. Through
a new and unique design, the same basic computer program can produce an almost
inexhaustible series of exterior panels. This system provides us with the means
to overthrow, once and for all, the tyranny of the module which has, with few
exceptions,7 ruled architecture from the time of ancient Egypt, the most obvious
examples being half of a Greek column, the Carolingian modules, Italian braccla,
and, in more recent times, Le Corbusier's Modular and Mies van der Rohe's
symmetric steel frames, among others. MADI-LUDICO
architecture provides us
with the means to enrich our inventive capacity and broaden our creative
freedom. Thus can be discarded the threadbare concept of the "module"
as well as other misguided formulas such as "the inextricable
paraphilosophical and paraliterary tangles that go by the name of
Deconstructivism, as promoted by Jacques Derrlda"8 or "the stylish
hybrids as preached by some gurus of Post‑Modernism."8 The
computer and the laser bring us -- I defer again to Cesar Lopez-Osornio -- to
"an echo-system." Walls are no longer constructed by modules but have
become spatial echoes, thus creating an incessant resonance of form and color.
These walls of many faces can become oblique, curved or any other desired form,
can combine with the most diverse materials, can unfurl from interior to
exterior, thus permitting, as advocated by Frank Lloyd Wright, a harmonious
Integration with the surrounding landscape. The MADI-LUDICO walls can be translocated, amplified and adapted to the most
demanding urban topography. We
may go further by conceiving buildings which express our creative imagination In
a broader and freer sense. On a more
modest level, we can utilize MADI-LUDICO
panels to change the appearance of existing constructions.. Let
us, for a moment, close our eyes. Imagine the most banal building. MADI-LUDICO
panels will dress it in festive colors and shapes. Thus, beginning with
perfectly ordinary facades, we can transform a whole street into a living
sculpture, a neighborhood into a state of perpetual creation. Open our eyes
again. From one house to the next, we have transfigured the urban landscape. Volf
Rottman April 8,
1997 FOOTNOTES 1.
Huizinga, Johan: Bono Ludens, 1938. French translation, Nrf Gallimard, 1951. 2.
Neyrat, Roger: Arden Quin - Rottman, 44 Years Afterward (1951-1995), text on invitation to show of samename at the Claude Dorval
Gallery, Paris, June, 1995. 3.
Vrinat, Robert: Actualite's Artistiques, Paris, Feb.21,1952. Vrinat wrote, "It
is Impossible to remainindifferent to the experiments of these young artists. If
in the beginning, they wished to break out of the square,which, to them,
represented traditional order and static force, they are now moving toward a
much more important renewal of the plastic arts." 4.
Macrae-Gibson, Gavin: The
Secret Life of Buildings, 1985. Spanish edition, Nerea, 1991. 5.
Hughes, Robert: Barcelona, Knopf,
New York, 1992. 6.
Lopez‑Osornio, Cesar: "Volf Roitman, Geometry as a Living Experience,"
Montseny International, San Pere de Vilamajor, Greater Barcelona, April 9,
1994. 7. Kostof, Spiro: A History
of Architecture, Oxford Univ. Press, 1995. I am referring in particular to
Francisco Borromini's Church of San Carlos (1634-1667) with its ovoid shape, Its
play of elliptic lines, its dynamic articulation In which "walls move from
elongated octagons to oval (and) the oval shrinks into a rhomboid ...
irrespective of modular proportions." 8. Maldonado, Tomas: Three American Lectures, Feltrinelli,
Milan, 1992.
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