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Juan O'Gorman

April 10, 2024

Juan O'Gorman (6 July 1905 – 17 January 1982) was a Mexican painter and architect.[1]

Juan O'Gorman
Born(1905-07-06)6 July 1905
Coyoacán, Mexico
Died17 January 1982(1982-01-17) (aged 76)
Mexico City, Mexico
EducationAcademy of San Carlos
Art and Architecture School at National Autonomous University of Mexico
MovementFunctionalism, Mexican muralism
Patron(s)Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo

Early life and family edit

Juan O'Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in Coyoacán,[2][3] then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the city, to an Irish immigrant father, Cecil Crawford O'Gorman and Encarnación O'Gorman Moreno. His parents were distant cousins. He had three younger siblings, Edmundo, Margarita and Tomás.[4][5] Despite his father's influence, O'Gorman chose to focus on architecture early in his career.[6] In 1927, he graduated from Academy of San Carlos, the Art and Architecture school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.[3]

His first marriage was to Nina Wright, Russian-American architect. He later married Helen Fowler, an American artist with whom he had an adopted daughter.[5]

Career edit

San Ángel houses edit

In 1929, O'Gorman purchased a plot containing two tennis courts in Mexico City's San Ángel colonia. On the plot, O'Gorman constructed a small house and studio intended for use by his father, now known as the Cecil O'Gorman House. The building's forms were strongly influenced by the work of Le Corbusier, whose theories of architecture O'Gorman studied.[7][8][9] O'Gorman dubbed the house the first functionalist structure in Latin America.[10][3]

Diego Rivera, a contemporary of O'Gorman, impressed with the design of the Cecil O'Gorman House, commissioned the architect to design a home for him and Frida Kahlo on an adjacent plot. The house was built in a similar functionalist style from 1931 to 1932.[3][5] The Rivera-Kahlo house was two houses connected by a bridge.[11] Both houses were purchased to be restored and opened to the public with the Rivera-Kahlo house operating as a museum.[12]

  •  
    The 1929 Cecil O'Gorman House
  •  
    The exterior staircase of the Cecil O'Gorman house.
  •  
    The Rivera-Kahlo house as visible from the street
  •  
    A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera-Kahlo house
  •  
    Panorama of Rivera-Kahlo house

Schools edit

In 1932, Narciso Bassols, then Secretary of Education, appointed O'Gorman to the position of Head of Architectural Office of the Ministry of Public Education, where he went on to design and build 26 elementary schools in Mexico City.[5] The schools were built with the philosophy of "eliminating all architectural style and executing constructions technically."[13]

After 6 years of functionalist projects, O'Gorman turned away from strict functionalism later in life and worked to develop an organic architecture, combining the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright with traditional Mexican constructions.[14]

Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria (UNAM) edit

Main article: Central Library (UNAM)
 
O'Gorman's mural Historical Representation of Culture on the Central Library at UNAM

Juan O'Gorman's most celebrated work due to its creativity, construction technique, and dimensions, are the four thousand square meters murals covering the four faces of the building of the Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria at UNAM. These murals are mosaics made from millions of colored stones that he gathered all around Mexico in order to be able to obtain the different colors he needed.[8] The north side pictures Mexico's pre-Hispanic past and the south facade its colonial one, while the east wall depicts the contemporary world, and the west shows the university and contemporary Mexico.[15]

From the beginning, I had the idea of making mosaics of colored stones in the walls of the collections, with a technique in which I was already well experienced. With these mosaics the library would be different from the other buildings of Ciudad Universitaria, and it would be given a particular Mexican character.[16]

Later work edit

O'Gorman built and designed his own house in the suburb of Pedregal,[17] which was part built structure part natural cave, which is known as "The Cave House" from 1953 to 1956. It was decorated with mosaics throughout. It was demolished in 1969.[11]

His paintings often treated Mexican history, landscape, and legends. A mural commission in Pátzcuaro, Michoacan resulted in the huge "La historia de Michoacán" in the Biblioteca Pública Gertrudis Bocanegra in a former church.[18] He painted the murals in the Independence Room in Mexico City's Chapultepec Castle, and the huge murals of his own 1952 Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, designed with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco.

In 1959, together with fellow artists, Raúl Anguiano, Jesús Guerrero Galván, and Carlos Orozco Romero, O'Gorman founded the militant Unión de Pintores y Grabadores de México (Mexican Painters and Engravers Union).[19]

Death edit

 
Juan O'Gorman, 1950, self-portrait at the age of 45.

He died on 17 January 1982, as a result of suicide. Authorities believe the artist grew despondent after being diagnosed with a heart ailment which curtailed his work. O'Gorman was found dead at his home.[5][9][20]

Awards edit

Bibliography edit

  • Burian, Edward R. (1997). "The Architecture of Juan O'Gorman: Dichotomy and Drift". Modernity and the Architecture of Mexico. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70852-1.
  • Burian, Edward R. (2005). "Modernity and Nationalism: Juan O'Gorman and Post-Revolutionary Architecture in Mexico, 1920-1960". In LeJeune, Jean-François (ed.). Cruelty & Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. pp. 210–223. ISBN 1-56898-489-8.
  • O'Gorman, Juan. Juan O'Gorman. Inv. y coord. documental Ida Rodríguez Prampolini, Olga Sáenz y Elizabeth Fuentes. México: UNAM-Coordinación de Humanidades.
  • O'Gorman. México: Grupo Financiero Bital. 1999.
  • Prampolini, Ida Rodríguez (1983). Juan O'Gorman, arquitecto y pintor. México: UNAM-Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas.
  • Frasier, Valerie (2000). Building the New World: Modern Architecture in Latin America. Verso. ISBN 1-85984-787-0.

See also edit

Further reading edit

  • Cooke, Catherine Nixon (2016). Juan O'Gorman: A Confluence of Civilizations. Trinity University Press.

References edit

  1. ^ "Juan O'Gorman | Mexican architect and muralist". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  2. ^ "Juan O'Gorman". Latin American Art. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  3. ^ a b c d Danes, Gibson (1942). "Juan O'Gorman". Southwest Review. 28 (1): 1–10. ISSN 0038-4712. JSTOR 43466639. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  4. ^ Murray, Edmundo. "O'Gorman, Edmundo (1906-1995), historian". Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e Canales, Francisco Gonzales de (2015-06-12). "Juan O'Gorman (1905-1982)". Architectural Review. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. ^ "Juan O'Gorman". Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  7. ^ "The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman". MAS CONTEXT. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  8. ^ a b Traynor, Jessica (2018-12-26). "Juan O'Gorman, architect behind Mexico City's most intriguing buildings". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  9. ^ a b Quinn, Gary (2007-06-21). "Rediscovering our man in Mexico City, Juan O'Gorman". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  10. ^ Carranza, Luis E.; Lara, Fernando Luiz (2015-01-05). Modern Architecture in Latin America: Art, Technology, and Utopia. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-76297-8.
  11. ^ a b . architectuul.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  12. ^ Orzechowski, Alan Rojas (2018-01-17). "Restoring the past: The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio". www.iconichouses.org. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  13. ^ Fraser, Valerie (2000). Building the new world : studies in the modern architecture of Latin America, 1930-1960. London: Verso. p. 47. ISBN 1-85984-307-7. OCLC 45912935.
  14. ^ O’Sullivan, Lucy (2019-04-03). "Diego Rivera and Juan O'Gorman: Post-Revolutionary Architectural Anatomies". Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies. 28 (2): 253–275. doi:10.1080/13569325.2019.1616166. ISSN 1356-9325. S2CID 198068606.
  15. ^ "Architectural Classics: Central Library, Ciudad Universitaria / Juan O'Gorman". ArchDaily. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  16. ^ "Creación del mural". Biblioteca Central UNAM.
  17. ^ Gallanti, Fabrizio (2015-12-17). "The Personal Debate of Juan O'Gorman". MAS CONTEXT. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  18. ^ Jolly, Jennifer, Creating Pátzcuaro, Creating Mexico: Art, Tourism, and Nation Building Under Lázaro Cárdenas. Austin: University of Texas Press 2018. ISBN 978-1477-314203
  19. ^ Murray, Edmundo (2008). Byrne, James P.; Coleman, Philip; King, Jason (eds.). Ireland and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 709–710. ISBN 9781851096145.
  20. ^ "Juan O'Gorman, 76; Painter and Architect". The New York Times. 1982-01-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-12.

External links edit

  • Juan O'Gorman on artcyclopedia.com

April 10, 2024
juan, gorman, july, 1905, january, 1982, mexican, painter, architect, born, 1905, july, 1905coyoacán, mexicodied17, january, 1982, 1982, aged, mexico, city, mexicoeducationacademy, carlosart, architecture, school, national, autonomous, university, mexicomoveme. Juan O Gorman 6 July 1905 17 January 1982 was a Mexican painter and architect 1 Juan O GormanBorn 1905 07 06 6 July 1905Coyoacan MexicoDied17 January 1982 1982 01 17 aged 76 Mexico City MexicoEducationAcademy of San CarlosArt and Architecture School at National Autonomous University of MexicoMovementFunctionalism Mexican muralismPatron s Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Contents 1 Early life and family 2 Career 2 1 San Angel houses 2 2 Schools 2 3 Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria UNAM 2 4 Later work 3 Death 4 Awards 5 Bibliography 6 See also 7 Further reading 8 References 9 External linksEarly life and family editJuan O Gorman was born on 6 July 1905 in Coyoacan 2 3 then a village to the south of Mexico City and now a borough of the city to an Irish immigrant father Cecil Crawford O Gorman and Encarnacion O Gorman Moreno His parents were distant cousins He had three younger siblings Edmundo Margarita and Tomas 4 5 Despite his father s influence O Gorman chose to focus on architecture early in his career 6 In 1927 he graduated from Academy of San Carlos the Art and Architecture school at the National Autonomous University of Mexico 3 His first marriage was to Nina Wright Russian American architect He later married Helen Fowler an American artist with whom he had an adopted daughter 5 Career editSan Angel houses edit In 1929 O Gorman purchased a plot containing two tennis courts in Mexico City s San Angel colonia On the plot O Gorman constructed a small house and studio intended for use by his father now known as the Cecil O Gorman House The building s forms were strongly influenced by the work of Le Corbusier whose theories of architecture O Gorman studied 7 8 9 O Gorman dubbed the house the first functionalist structure in Latin America 10 3 Diego Rivera a contemporary of O Gorman impressed with the design of the Cecil O Gorman House commissioned the architect to design a home for him and Frida Kahlo on an adjacent plot The house was built in a similar functionalist style from 1931 to 1932 3 5 The Rivera Kahlo house was two houses connected by a bridge 11 Both houses were purchased to be restored and opened to the public with the Rivera Kahlo house operating as a museum 12 nbsp The 1929 Cecil O Gorman House nbsp The exterior staircase of the Cecil O Gorman house nbsp The Rivera Kahlo house as visible from the street nbsp A bridge connects the two divisions of the Rivera Kahlo house nbsp Panorama of Rivera Kahlo houseSchools edit In 1932 Narciso Bassols then Secretary of Education appointed O Gorman to the position of Head of Architectural Office of the Ministry of Public Education where he went on to design and build 26 elementary schools in Mexico City 5 The schools were built with the philosophy of eliminating all architectural style and executing constructions technically 13 After 6 years of functionalist projects O Gorman turned away from strict functionalism later in life and worked to develop an organic architecture combining the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright with traditional Mexican constructions 14 Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria UNAM edit Main article Central Library UNAM nbsp O Gorman s mural Historical Representation of Culture on the Central Library at UNAMJuan O Gorman s most celebrated work due to its creativity construction technique and dimensions are the four thousand square meters murals covering the four faces of the building of the Central Library at Ciudad Universitaria at UNAM These murals are mosaics made from millions of colored stones that he gathered all around Mexico in order to be able to obtain the different colors he needed 8 The north side pictures Mexico s pre Hispanic past and the south facade its colonial one while the east wall depicts the contemporary world and the west shows the university and contemporary Mexico 15 From the beginning I had the idea of making mosaics of colored stones in the walls of the collections with a technique in which I was already well experienced With these mosaics the library would be different from the other buildings of Ciudad Universitaria and it would be given a particular Mexican character 16 Later work edit O Gorman built and designed his own house in the suburb of Pedregal 17 which was part built structure part natural cave which is known as The Cave House from 1953 to 1956 It was decorated with mosaics throughout It was demolished in 1969 11 His paintings often treated Mexican history landscape and legends A mural commission in Patzcuaro Michoacan resulted in the huge La historia de Michoacan in the Biblioteca Publica Gertrudis Bocanegra in a former church 18 He painted the murals in the Independence Room in Mexico City s Chapultepec Castle and the huge murals of his own 1952 Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico designed with Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martinez de Velasco In 1959 together with fellow artists Raul Anguiano Jesus Guerrero Galvan and Carlos Orozco Romero O Gorman founded the militant Union de Pintores y Grabadores de Mexico Mexican Painters and Engravers Union 19 Death edit nbsp Juan O Gorman 1950 self portrait at the age of 45 He died on 17 January 1982 as a result of suicide Authorities believe the artist grew despondent after being diagnosed with a heart ailment which curtailed his work O Gorman was found dead at his home 5 9 20 Awards editNational Prize for Arts and Sciences of fine arts 1972 Bibliography editBurian Edward R 1997 The Architecture of Juan O Gorman Dichotomy and Drift Modernity and the Architecture of Mexico Austin Texas University of Texas Press ISBN 0 292 70852 1 Burian Edward R 2005 Modernity and Nationalism Juan O Gorman and Post Revolutionary Architecture in Mexico 1920 1960 In LeJeune Jean Francois ed Cruelty amp Utopia Cities and Landscapes of Latin America New York Princeton Architectural Press pp 210 223 ISBN 1 56898 489 8 O Gorman Juan Juan O Gorman Inv y coord documental Ida Rodriguez Prampolini Olga Saenz y Elizabeth Fuentes Mexico UNAM Coordinacion de Humanidades O Gorman Mexico Grupo Financiero Bital 1999 Prampolini Ida Rodriguez 1983 Juan O Gorman arquitecto y pintor Mexico UNAM Instituto de Investigaciones Esteticas Frasier Valerie 2000 Building the New World Modern Architecture in Latin America Verso ISBN 1 85984 787 0 See also editMexican Muralism Modernist architecture in MexicoFurther reading editCooke Catherine Nixon 2016 Juan O Gorman A Confluence of Civilizations Trinity University Press References edit Juan O Gorman Mexican architect and muralist Encyclopedia Britannica Retrieved 2020 07 07 Juan O Gorman Latin American Art Retrieved 2020 10 12 a b c d Danes Gibson 1942 Juan O Gorman Southwest Review 28 1 1 10 ISSN 0038 4712 JSTOR 43466639 Retrieved 12 October 2020 Murray Edmundo O Gorman Edmundo 1906 1995 historian Dictionary of Irish Latin American Biography Retrieved 12 October 2020 a b c d e Canales Francisco Gonzales de 2015 06 12 Juan O Gorman 1905 1982 Architectural Review Retrieved 2020 10 12 Juan O Gorman Retrieved 2022 07 12 The Personal Debate of Juan O Gorman MAS CONTEXT 2015 12 17 Retrieved 2020 01 01 a b Traynor Jessica 2018 12 26 Juan O Gorman architect behind Mexico City s most intriguing buildings The Irish Times Retrieved 2020 10 12 a b Quinn Gary 2007 06 21 Rediscovering our man in Mexico City Juan O Gorman The Irish Times Retrieved 2020 10 12 Carranza Luis E Lara Fernando Luiz 2015 01 05 Modern Architecture in Latin America Art Technology and Utopia University of Texas Press ISBN 978 0 292 76297 8 a b Juan O Gorman architectuul com Archived from the original on 2020 10 18 Retrieved 2020 10 13 Orzechowski Alan Rojas 2018 01 17 Restoring the past The Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Home Studio www iconichouses org Retrieved 2020 10 13 Fraser Valerie 2000 Building the new world studies in the modern architecture of Latin America 1930 1960 London Verso p 47 ISBN 1 85984 307 7 OCLC 45912935 O Sullivan Lucy 2019 04 03 Diego Rivera and Juan O Gorman Post Revolutionary Architectural Anatomies Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies 28 2 253 275 doi 10 1080 13569325 2019 1616166 ISSN 1356 9325 S2CID 198068606 Architectural Classics Central Library Ciudad Universitaria Juan O Gorman ArchDaily 2020 07 09 Retrieved 2020 10 13 Creacion del mural Biblioteca Central UNAM Gallanti Fabrizio 2015 12 17 The Personal Debate of Juan O Gorman MAS CONTEXT Retrieved 2020 10 13 Jolly Jennifer Creating Patzcuaro Creating Mexico Art Tourism and Nation Building Under Lazaro Cardenas Austin University of Texas Press 2018 ISBN 978 1477 314203 Murray Edmundo 2008 Byrne James P Coleman Philip King Jason eds Ireland and the Americas culture politics and history a multidisciplinary encyclopedia Santa Barbara California ABC CLIO pp 709 710 ISBN 9781851096145 Juan O Gorman 76 Painter and Architect The New York Times 1982 01 20 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2020 10 12 External links editJuan O Gorman on artcyclopedia com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Juan O 27Gorman amp oldid 1187432268, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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