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Santiago Calatrava saw the exhibition “All About Italy!”

26 June 2014

In his brief visit to Moscow the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava with the chief architect Sergey Kuznetsov managed to visit the exhibition of architectural graphics in the Tretyakov Gallery, which left quite an impression on the maestro.

Santiago Calatrava is known worldwide for his unique structures: they are elegant with their unusual plasticity and at the same time are incredibly complex in engineering design. Poetry permeates all of Calatrava’s work, who is not only an outstanding architect, but also a sculptor, painter and stage designer. His bridges resemble the spines of animals, a tower — a twisting athlete’s torso, and a theater — the outline of a giant fish fin. Two years ago at the opening of his exhibition at the Hermitage, Santiago Calatrava commented that he believes, as did ancient artists, that in the center of everything are people and the world around us we can only come to know through the body.

El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía

Through his humanistic approach to architecture, acute attention to proportions, scale, and anthropomorphism, Calatrava continues the classical tradition. And of course, he is not indifferent to it: the “All About Italy!” exhibition of architectural graphics in the Tretyakov Gallery, which revealed in this elegant genre all the various traditions of classical architecture, left quite an impression on the architect.

Santiago Calatrava

A small tour for Calatrava was conducted by the chief architect of Moscow Sergey Kuznetsov, whose works are represented in the contemporary section of the exposition, and by the author of the exhibition catalog Vladimir Sedov. According to the maestro, he was in awe of the works presented and with great pleasure discovered the works of his colleague — Sergey Kuznetsov, pointing out in them a superb vision of architecture and a knack for finding particularly expressive means in each composition: “It’s very important that you are an artist, that you constantly experience new ideas — said Calatrava. — It’s not just about using different techniques; you have excellent vision, you demonstrate an individual approach to every work.”

Santiago Calatrava noted that in Moscow a lot has changed since he first came here 20 years ago. The architect noted with satisfaction that today’s urban development is focused primarily on public spaces of the highest quality — parks, renovation of streets and highways, and this new stage in the evolution of the capital is extremely important. “90% of my projects are public spaces, concert halls, museums, train stations,” said Calatrava, and if at some point he had to build something in Moscow, his main task will be to emphasize the beauty of the city and its unique monuments, continuing the priorities set in the recent past.

Santiago Calatrava

In the end Santiago Calatrava and Sergey Kuznetsov exchanged autographs: with a few strokes on the inside front cover of the journal Calatrava sketched a romantic pattern — two human figures, aspiring to a flying pigeon — once again confirming that every day poetry and art are inseparable for him.

Santiago Calatrava


Images: mka.mos.ru


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