Luis Barragán

by Antonio Riggen Martínez

Many books cover the sublime forms and colors of Luis Barragan's architecture - its visual aspect - yet are silent on his education and development as an architect, his methods and his theories. Luis Barragan: Mexico's Modern Master, 1902-1988 is the first in-depth study of the architect and his work. It also includes a great number of exquisite visual representations, thereby presenting a complete treatment of Barragan that enhances an understanding of the equally poetic and architectonic nature of his work and places him within the historical and political context of Mexico. The author portrays the myriad influence on the young Barragan: early trips to the United States and Europe, where he became acquainted with some of his most important and lasting models, Le Corbusier, Frederick Kiesler, Jose Clemente Orozco, and above all, Ferdinand Bac; the strong sense of identity of the tapatios, natives of his home city of Guadalajara; and his circle of contemporaries, all in the arts, all c