The textured surfaces of Muuratsalo

Transcription

1 Alvar Aalto Researchers Network Seminar Why Aalto? 9-10 June 2017, Jyväskylä, Finland The textured surfaces of Muuratsalo Eymen Homsi PhD student, Architecture Aalto University

2 THETEXTUREDSURFACESOFMUURATSALO Aalto sarchitecturalandpainterlyactivitiesconvergedathissummerhousein Muuratsalo.ItwastherethathebothpaintedandmadesmallGscaleconstructional experiments.thispaperexaminesthe experimental wallsofthecourtyardintermsof thekinshipinaaltobetweenarchitectureandpainting.itattemptstointerpretthe wallsintermsoftheabstractmodeofpaintingthataaltopracticed. TheframedrectangleofwhiteandbluetilesthatcentersthewestGfacingwallofthe courtyardisagoodplacetostart(fig.1).itisanarchitecturalelementthatbrings paintingtomindinthewayitstandsoutagainstitsbackgroundthroughitscolor, content,andframing.moreover,itseemstohaveservedasaneaselforaalto spainting activity,asevidencedbya1960 sphotograph.itcontainsanabstractarrangementof verticalandhorizontaltilesinwhiteandblue.givenitsprominentplacement,andgiven thatformalorganizationisneverrandominaalto,thepanelisnecessarilysignificantin someway,butwhatdoesitsignify? fig1 fig2! Aphotographinanearly(1926)articlebyAaltoaboutmodulatinginteriorandexterior spacemaypointustowardsapossiblemeaning.1thephotographshowsanunroofed Pompeiiatriuminwhichanopencolonnadeisfacingablindwall.Theblindwallis centeredbyanaedicule,asmallshrinededicatedtoaromandeities(fig.2).anumber ofsimilaritiesbetweentheunroofedatriumandthecourtyardofthesummerhouse, builtthreedecadesafterthearticle,becomeevidentuponexamination.thecourtyard isalsoakindofunroofedatriuminwhichascreenofverticalposts(atrellis)isfacinga blindwall(thewestgfacingwallofthebedroomwing).aalto sblindwallisalsocentered byaprominentelement,theframedrectangleofwhiteandbluetilesmentionedabove. Therectangle,likethePompeiiaedicule,servestheformalimperativeofcenteringand decenteringthewall.liketheaedicule,ithasthevisualimportanceofasymbolic function.but,whereastheaediculecontainsaromandeity,theaaltorectanglecontains onlyanabstractarrangementoftileswhosesignificanceisnotimmediatelyobvious. Butifoneallowsforthepossibilitythatthearrangementisanabstractedviewsofthe surroundinglandscape,thentherectanglebeginstopointtolargermeanings.certainly, thelowerhalfoftherectangleeasilysuggestawinterviewofafrozenlakeseenthrough ascreenoftrees,and,bythesamelogic,theupperhalfappearstobeasummerviewof thesame.2seeninthislight,therectangleacquiresanhonorificandevenashrineglike quality(fig.3).

3 fig.3 Thereferencingofnaturebyarchitecturalmeanswasanongoingpreoccupationwith Aalto,asweknow,anditishardlyconfinedtothecontentsofthisonerectangle. ObservershaveinterpretedAalto suseofclusteredverticalposts(forexample,the stairsinvilla%mairea)asabstractevocationsof forestspace.thewhitetrellisfacing therectanglecouldlikewisebesaidtoevoke,ordisplayaffinitieswith,thebirchtrees justbeyondthewall. Abstraction,fromtheLatinabstractus,meanstodrawaway materialinordertorevealtheunderlyingessence,theessentialfeaturesofathing.here theabstractiondrawsawaythedetailstorevealthestructuralattributeoftheforest. Thewhitetrellisretainstheverticals,andtherectangle,inturn,reiteratesthe abstractedtrellistoproduceaflat,framedimagethatistwostepsremovedfromnature. Theremovalofwhatisextraneoustorevealwhatisessentialisacentralfeatureof modernabstractart.3evenmondrian,thedoyenofabstractart,readilyadmittedhow hebeganwithtreesand,overthecourseofadecade,progressivelyridthemoftheir representationalattributes. Iexpressmyselfbymeansofnature.Butifyoucarefully observethesequenceofmywork,youwillseethatitprogressivelyabandonedthe naturalisticappearanceofthingsandincreasinglyemphasizedtheplasticexpressionof relationships. 4! IfthewhiteGbluerectangle,followingMondrian,isindeedanabstractionofthe landscapeitfaces,thenitfollowsthattheenigmaticbluerectangleontheadjacentwall isalsoapossiblelandscapeabstraction,relatedtothefirstbymateriality,figuralityand proximity(fig.4).thewallthatthebluerectanglefaces(thegateofthecourtyard) framesanexpansiveandunobstructedviewofthelakeandofthesky.onecouldargue thatthepureblueoftherectanglemirrorsthisunlimitedblue.certainlytheblue rectangleisreductivetoagreaterdegreethanitswhitegblueneighborontheadjacent wall.itsabstractlogicoperateslessby removal inthemannerofmondrian,andmore by nonobjectivefeeling inthemannerofmalevich,whodescribeshiswhiteandblack squarepaintingsthus: thisisno emptysquare whichihadexhibitedbutratherthe feelingofnongobjectivity.thesquare=feelings,thewhitefield=thevoidbeyondthis feeling. 5 fig4 fig5

4 TheAbstractExpressionistpainterHansHofmann(1880G1966),whovisitedMuuratsalo inthemid1950 s,sharedwithaaltoanaestheticsensibilitythatcanbedescribedas simultaneouslyspatial,painterly,andabstract.itishardtomisstheaffinitybetween Hofmann spaintingsandaalto scourtyardwalls,inparticularthewallwiththeblue rectangle.hofmannwassearchingforawaytoembodyfeelingsdirectlyfromthe materialityandmechanicsofpainting.hewasattemptingtogobeyondmondrian s universal(i.e.impersonal)andstaticforms."unlikemondrian'sworkinwhichcolor helpsbalancethedesign,hofmann'spaintloadedbrushandexuberanthuesthreatento explodethestablerightangledgrid." 6 Asimilarmixofsubjectiveimpulseandformal disciplineguidedaalto'sartisticactivity.boththepaintingsandthewallssharean importantqualitythatalliesthemwithhofmannandthatdifferentiatesthemfromthe earlierdestijl,namelytheopendisplayoftheirsubjectiveworkingmethod,theactive presenceoftheartist.eventhoughthecourtyardwallsdon tresemblepaintings,they haveanundisguisedpainterlyquality,a"remarkablerichnessandvariety.that emphasizesthepainterlyneogplasticoriginsofthedesign". 7 ForHofmannnatureistheoriginofallart,andmovementisthe pulseofnature. Movementanimateslife!Withoutmovementthereisnoexpression,butmovement meansspatialdepth,andspatialdepthbringsitscompanion,pictorialperspective, whichisanathematoabstractartbecauseperspectivalspaceisakintofallingbackinto arepresentationalmode. Threedimensionalmovementcanbeestablisheduponthe pictureplaneonlyastwogdimensional,foronecannotproduceactualdepthonthe pictureplanebutonlythesensationofdepth. 8 Thepainterhastograpplewiththe contradictionofportrayingmovementwhilepreservingflatness.thecruxofthe differencebetweenhofmannandaalto,abstractpaintingandmodernarchitecture,has todowiththeproblematicofflatnessandspatialdepthastheyrelatetomovement:how toanimate(breathlifeinto)surface? TheanswertothequestionappearsintheworkofHofmannintheformofwhathe calledhis pushgpulltechnique,asseen,forexample,inhismajestic%blueof1965(fig.5). Heconstructsfieldsinwhichoneormorerectangles,usuallyblue,appearasvolumes thatrecedeandadvancesolelyonthebasisofcolorsandshape.butthemuuratsalo problemismorechallenginginthatarchitecturaldepthisnotstrictlyfrontaland movementisnotonlyperceptual.onesolution,asiinterpretit,istopositthe experienceofthehouseasamobilesequenceofpointsofviewthatproceeds,by degrees,fromspacetonospace,fromopenandclosed.thisdualcharacterofthehouse, asopen/closed,unfoldsforthevisitorinthetrajectoryalongthesouthsideofthehouse, fromtheboatpiertotheforest.thebuilding,whichisonaslope,closesdowninthe ascentandopensitupinthedescent.itistransformedfromobjecttovoid,from containertocontained,andviceversa.thisoscillationisparticularlyclearintheplan, thearchitecturalversionoftheflatcanvas,wheretheheadandtailgraduallydissolve backintoamorphousfragmentsofforest,thedetailsofwhichseemrandombutare,in fact,minutelyworkedout,nolesssothanhofmann scarefullycalibratedbalanceof shapeandcolor.

5 AsimilaropenGclosedexperienceisrepeatedatthescaleofthecourtyardasawhole, andthenagainatthescaleofthedetailsofthewallsinwhatmightbecalledthe painterlytexturesofthewalls.theimmediateproblemwashowtointroducetexture withoutthedecorativeeffectofappliedlayers.theanswerwouldseemtobeto modulatethefourwallsasonesequentialunitggfourtexturedsurfacesthatareinfact onecontinuousfaçade.(fourfacadesinasequencemightstandinasthearchitectural equivalentofatetraptych,apaintingoffoursequentialparts).eachsurface,andeach partofeachsurface,isonedegreemoreopenorclosed,onedegreedeeperorlessdeep, thanthepartadjacenttoit.theseriesgoesfromthefullviewofthelandscapeatone endtothefullyopaquewallofthelastbedroomattheotherend.inbetweenthesetwo endsaredetailsthatservetograduallycompressspace,suchasthegnarlyvolumesof texturedbrick;theglassglikebutopaqueblueceramicpanel;thelowhallwaybehindthe blindwall;thenarrowstripwindowthatistoohighandtoodeep;andthehatchglike doorthatterminatestheseries. Aalto,thus,managestodeployanentirerangeofopeningandclosingelementsto achieveasetofarchitecturalsurfacesthatexpandandcontractspace.thespaceofthe courtyardcanbeseentobecrossedbyinvisiblevectorsthatconnecttheforesttothe abstractedviewsofitself(notunlikerenaissanceperspective).thespaceoscillates betweenthefullythreegdimensionalforestandthehighlycompactedplanarityofthe walls.thetworectanglesbecomedevicestosignalthecontractionandexpansionof spacefromflattofull,fromabstractto real.thewallsreconcilethepainterwiththe architect(fig.6). fig6 Lookingjustatthebluerectanglefacingthegateopening,weseetherangeofpossible meaningsithasand,byextension,thepossiblemeaningsofotherelements.itmayjoin otherelementsonthewalltoclarify,distort,oramendassociations.itcaneasilyally itselfwiththeadjacentwindowthroughitsposition,symmetricalaboutthecenteraxis ofthecourtyard,throughitsglassglikesmoothnessandmirrorglikereflectivity,through themetaphorofopennessandspatialdepth.itmayalso,equallywell,recallalake,a sky,awindow,amirror,aneye.itcanalsoaffiliateitselfthroughitsmaterialityand modularitywiththedenseelements:thebrickvolumesandsurfacesthatdenote opacity,earth,andcompression.itmayalsojointheelementsconnotingbothopenand closed:thecarvedoutfireplace,thestriatedglazingofthemaindoor,thewhitegblue rectangle,thehatchdoorofthelastbedroom,thetrellisedopening,thehorizontal window(fig.7).

6 fig7 Thecredentialsofthebuildingaremixedandambiguous.Isitorganic(natural)because ofitsincompletions,withpartsstillemergingfromtheforest?isitvernacularbecause ofitsprimitiveconstruction,itsadghocelements,itscentralfire?isitmodern?orisit infactaconflationoftheseandotherdesignations?porphyrioshaslikenedthebrick wallstoaquilt.9thesitingamalgamatesallthesepossibilities,situatingthehouse betweenthemodernboat,thevernacularsauna,andtheforest.theoverallformis incomplete,givingcredencetoallthesereadings.ithasbeennotedthatitbringsto mindtheimageofanabandonedruin.10it sacompellingimage:thecourtyardappears tobemissingitsroof,thetailfragmentshavebeengivenoverbacktonature,the texturesrevealthepassageoftime.thereissomethingmelancholyinthisproposition, anditisinkeepingwiththeseasonalnatureofthehouse,abandonedformostofthe year.thealternationofwinterdarknesswithsummergaietycorrespondswiththe closingdownandtheopeningupofthehouse.thisoppositionofinhabitationvs. abandonment,expansionvs.contraction,opennessvs.closedgnessbecomesthe architecturalmetaphorthatgeneratestheplacementandformofthehouse.italso generatesanemotionalcontentforthehouse,the painterly expression.aaltonotes that thefinnishhomeshouldhavetwofaces.oneistheaestheticallydirectcontact withtheworldoutside;theotheritswinterface,turnsinwardandisseenintheinterior designwhichemphasizesthewarmthofourinnerrooms. 11 ThehousestandsattheendofthehighmomentofModernism,parallelwithother contemporaryworks.itcouldstandasaruinofmodernitywithitsopaque%layersof brickinsteadofwhitesurfaces,itscavelikeenclosureinsteadoftransparency. TransparencysurvivesinthenorthGsouthaxisthatvisuallyconnectsthelaketothe forestbehindthehouseviathelivingroomandbackwindows.buttheotheraxis,the eastgwestaxis,isabruptlyinterruptedatthewhitegbluerectangleontheblindwall, whilethebedrooms,justbehindtherectangle,turntheirbacksentirelytotheaxis. ThebrickpatternsareobviouslyinspiredbyDeStijlcompositionand/orCubistcollage techniques.quantrillobservesthat: Aalto,whosepaintingsarestrictlynotionaland expressionistincharacter,soughtheretosystematizethearchitecturalexpressionina painterlyform.ifthisissothenhismodelisclearlythatofthedestijlmovement."12 ButthetexturedwallsinfactpresentuswithacritiqueofDeStijlandCubistsurfaces. ThewhiteplanesofDeStijlherebecomepaintedbrickwalls,impure,imperfect,and contaminated.likewise,thecarefullydelineatedbrickplanesofdudokarereplacedby thehighlyweatheredsurfacesofthecourtyard.thespaciousmodernboxofthe

7 SchroederHouse,composedoffreelyfloatingplanes,isherecompressedandflattened, andnolongerpenetratedbylight.thesurfacesarerenderedthick,picturesque,tactile, anddeeplyshadowedinthemoving mysticlight ofthefire.theytangiblyevokea painterly effect. Aaltoonabstractart: Perhapstheimportantthingispreciselythatabstractart representsasimplificationwhichenablesusjusttoexperiencefeelings,purelyhuman feelings. 13 Aalto'spaintingshavenotitlesandsoprovidenocuesastotheiremotive meanings,butheconsideredthemimportantforhisdesignprocess,andsothebuildings arethefinalexpressionofthefeelingsinthepainting.manyofthepaintingsare strangelyarchitecturalinthattheyalmostlooklikeplans,sites,buildingelevations. Thereisnodoubtthatthefeelingscalledforthbytheactivityofpaintingwerenot trivialtoaalto."whenpaintinginmuuratsaloalvarwouldsometimessigh:'oh,howall thisnaturedisturbsme!". 14 Onecanspeculateonprivatemeanings(arethebluetilesa torso?),butaalto,inhisfamousreticence,putsanendtothatkindoftalk:"formisa mysterywhichdefiesdefinition,butitgivesmanagoodfeeling." 15 Onewondersabout theneedforreticence.thejustificationsheoffersforhisunusualwallsinmuuratsalo arecarefullypragmaticandrational,thoughheprefacesthemwithyrjohirn'snotionof instinctivefeelingsandseriousplay.similarlypracticalexplanationarepresentedinhis descriptionsoftheroleofabstractartasastimulanttoarchitecture.romygolan observes:"thefearofabstractpainting,whichmayunlacetheunderstandingtoaworld lesssimplethanapparent,isthefearthatprimacymaypasstotheprivate,ratherthan thecollective,vision.andtherecanbenoreturn." 16 Andyet,somuchtimehaspassed sincemuuratsalowasbuilt.aalto'stilesandhofmann'sfloatingrectangleslookquite harmlessnow. 1AlvarAalto,Alvar%Aalto%in%His%Own%Words,Ed.GöranSchildt(Otava,Helsinki,1977),p.51 2Theupperleftrectangleismoreambiguous,perhapsitdepictsgentlewavesinplan,ora 2Theupperleftrectangleismoreambiguous,perhapsitdepictsgentlewavesinplan,ora tonguegingcheekheraldiccoatofarmsforwave,aalto. 3RudolfArnheim,Visual%Thinking(UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkley,1969),p.173G75. 4PietMondrian DialogueontheNewPlastic,"inArt%in%Theory%1900D1990,%An%Anthology%of% Changing%Ideas,Ed.CharlesHarrison,PaulWood(Blackwell,Oxford,1992),p KasimirMalevich, Suprematism, Theories%of%Modern%Art,%A%Source%Book%by%Artists%and%Critics, Ed.HerschelChipp,(UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkley,1968)p.342G43. 6IrvingSandler,"HansHofmann:theDialecticalMaster",Ed.CynthiaGoodman,inHans%Hofmann% (WhitneyMuseum,NewYork,1990),p.86 7MalcolmQuantril,Alvar%Aalto:%a%Critical%Study(NewAmsterdamBooks,NewYork,1983),p.142 8HansHofmann, OnMovement, intheories%of%modern%art,%a%source%book%by%artists%and%critics, Ed.HerschelChipp(UniversityofCaliforniaPress,Berkley,1968),p.543 9DemetriPorphyrios,Sources%of%Modern%Eclecticism:%Studies%on%Alvar%Aalto(AcademyEditions, London,1982)p.10

8 10RichardWeston,Alvar%Aalto(PhaidonPress,London,1995),p Aalto,Alvar%Aalto%in%His%Own%Words,p.52 12Quantril,Alvar%Aalto,%p AlvarAalto,Alvar%Aalto%Synopsis:%Painting,%Architecture,%Sculpture,Ed.BernardHoesli(ETH, Basel,1980)p.18,originallyappearedasanswertoaninquiryofthe Domus Magazine,1947, 223G225,p.3G20 14ElissaAaltointerview1991,inLounaLahtied.Alvar%Aalto:%Ex%Intimo(BuildingInformation Ltd.Helsinki,2001),p.25 15Aalto,Alvar%Aalto%in%His%Own%Words,p ColinThubron,Where%the%Nights%are%Longest:%Travels%by%car%through%Western%Russia(NewYork, 1984),p.90