COMPOSITION OF MODERNISM IN VALENCIA

In the next composition you will enjoy a lot of interesting information about modernism in Valencia. With the information given by other students and with my own research, I did a composition that talks about the characteristics of Modernist architecture in Valencia through its buildings, houses and architects. These are the buildings that I'm going to check to obtain the main characteristics of Modernism in Valencia: Buildings 7 and 8, The Post Office, The Xapa House, The City Hall, The Tatay House, The Fountain Place House, Apartment Buildings 9 and 10, The North Railroad Station, The House of the Swallows, The Dragon House, Apartment Building 2, The Port Sheds, The Ferrer House, Apartment Building 11, The Colon Market, Apartment Buildings 5 and 6, The Sancho House and Cabañal Houses. These amazing buildings of modernist architecture of Valencia were designed by the main architects of modernism in Valencia that are: Antonio Martorel Trilles, Carlos Carbonell Pañella, Demetrio Ribes Marco, Emilio Ferrer Gisber, Francisco Mora Berenguer, Javier Goerlich Lleó, Joaquin Ma. Arnau Miramón, José Manuel Cortina Pérez, Manuel Peris Ferrando, Manuel García Sierra, Miguel Angel Navarrete and Vicente Sancho Fuster.

All of these architects have a lot of common because their concepts were of the same artistic style, modernism. Thus, we can see in their works similar characteristics like the use of very colorful animal forms that reflect the community awareness with respect to nature (for example in Dragon House we can see how the architect used dragon sculptures on the façade to make it more interesting). The use of these complex forms as decorative elements were used not only like leaned elements, but giving to the building a personality that shows people's life. Also we can see that some of these decorative elements were taken from other styles like Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic, Greek, Roman and other architecture styles. Some of these elements were handrails, salients, balconies, sculptures, pillars, and so on. These elements were not used literally, but as a subjective interpretation of each artist, giving buildings a unique personality. The repetition of these elements gave to the façade's buildings beautiful compositions with a lot of rhythm creating relationships between these buildings and their context.

Other common characteristics that we can see is the fact that most of modernist architects changed the concept of "house" like a horizontal one to the concept of a vertical building. This new concept reflected better the new people's life that modernism brought, according to the concept of city and metropolis. The main reason for this to happen was the social changes caused by the new era of mass industrialism and mechanism, reflected in modernist architecture.
From these buildings, my favorite one is the City Hall, because it seems like a castle and has a lot of elements from other styles mixed in one piece of art. I liked very much the fact that this building is totally open to a big square and it is the principal attraction of the view's square. I liked the great windows with the arches above that seem like a Roman bridge, and it is very interesting that almost all windows are different. Also, it is beautiful how the architect took elements from Greek architecture and used them in the towers, making them like Greek temples. The handrails on top enhance the building's outline, because they have a lot of sculpture treatment that make them beautiful, showy and complex. Also these pinnacles above of the building remind Gothic architecture and its nearness to God. The red cupolas on top, as parts of Renaissance style, are simply splendid. I think that this building perfectly represents the spirit of modernism's epoch, because it used a lot of elements without a real relationship and made a wonderful piece of art that showed us how the creative mind of human beings could make things, apparently for the time, impossible. For example, in old times we never could dream of the great size of this building in contrast with people below.

Finally, I think that modernism was a very important style in its epoch, even in our times its concepts are still valid.

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• Modernism

[claudiatalancon]

Que voz aburridisima! No me jodas esta fatal.

[HoneysuckleBing]

beautiful!