Casa Guatemalteca

Fülszöveg

— ew things better reveal the character of a
nation than the way it chooses to house itself, perhaps because the first activity undertaken by man at the very dawn of history was to provide himself with a habitat. Since then such a habitat -the house- has been a perfect reflection of himself. It is there that he forges his most permanent relationships, his most explicit form of sharing, his most profound sense of stability.
And there are few countries that can offer such a wealth of chosen habitats as Guatemala. From the primeval dwellings of its ancestral races to its modern architecture, including syntheses of the colonial style and republican and modern expressions, Guatemalan houses have been imposing and exciting. They are a display of the art of form and the wealth and subtlety of colour.
One is astonished to discover in them a cumulative historical testimony, an imaginative creation of style and ornament, an intimate sense of time, a display of vitality, a highly defined... Tovább

Fülszöveg

— ew things better reveal the character of a
nation than the way it chooses to house itself, perhaps because the first activity undertaken by man at the very dawn of history was to provide himself with a habitat. Since then such a habitat -the house- has been a perfect reflection of himself. It is there that he forges his most permanent relationships, his most explicit form of sharing, his most profound sense of stability.
And there are few countries that can offer such a wealth of chosen habitats as Guatemala. From the primeval dwellings of its ancestral races to its modern architecture, including syntheses of the colonial style and republican and modern expressions, Guatemalan houses have been imposing and exciting. They are a display of the art of form and the wealth and subtlety of colour.
One is astonished to discover in them a cumulative historical testimony, an imaginative creation of style and ornament, an intimate sense of time, a display of vitality, a highly defined taste and way of feeling. They are characterized by an intuitive shaping of form, the dreamy mood of their patios, the enigmatic atmosphere of their entrance halls and the evocative elegance of their grilles and balconies. These houses give evidence of the thought which has formed them and the social structure which they are based on.
This book allows us to journey through an inexhaustible gallery of Guatemalan houses and relive and feel proud of the history of Central America since its remote origins, an experience which confirms the marvel and impenetrable mystery of colours and forms rooted forever in the soul of its people. Vissza