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375 Colour and Light in Architecture_First International Conference 2010_Proceedings

A Small Pavil ion for Books

Fiorezo BERTAn

Associate Professor, IUAV University, S. Marta, Dorsoduro 2196, 30123, Venice, Italy

E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The Book pailio i the gardes of Bieial i veice was the rst buildig desiged by Scara that was eer built. This ‘temo-

rary’ architecture is now demolished.

The Scara’s pailio reresets the ‘erfect fusio’ of differet architectural themes joied foreer by the remarkably laborious

personal study carried out playfully with all possible means of the discipline: shapes, materials, geometry, light and shadow.

Keywords: Carlo Scara: Art Bieial veice: Books pailio.

1. INTRODUCTION

After the re o May 12, 1984 ad the demolish i 1988, a small atch of gree grass ad a owerbed are all that

remai i the gardes of Bieial i veice of the Book pailio which was desiged by Carlo Scara i 1950 for the

Galleria del Cavallino of Carlo Cardazzo.

Many experts on the work of Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa have already focused their studies on this minor ex-

ample of ‘temporary’ architecture whose appeal can be seen in the foreshadowing of the works that were to follow.

It represents, without a doubt, the starting point for a more in depth historical study of the complex body of Scarpa’s

architecture. I fact, the Book pailio was the rst buildig desiged by Scara that was eer built, after a series of

restoratio rojects, iterior desig rojects ad studies for ew buildigs. The latter were eer carried out. [1]Through the iterest of the architectural historias Bruo Zei ad the laudatory remarks made by Giusee Maz -

zariol in the article, which appeared in the third edition of the magazine “L’Architettura ” i 1955, [2] Scara was to be

brought to the attetio of the Olietti Foudatio ad gie the commissio for his udisuted masteriece – the

Olietti sho i Sa Marco Square. [3]

2. THE PAVILION PROJECT

I the fall of 1949 discussios ad rearatios for the 25th Art Bieial i veice, to be held the followig summer,

were well uder way. After haig bee oe of the most restigious cultural eets of the reious regime, the Bie-

nial was now attempting to represent, with a wider perspective and greater authority, an artistic world in which it had




played a marginal role for too long on the international scene.

There were some who had ery clear ideas about the situatio ad did ot hesitate to carry them out. Amog thesewhere the scietic directors of the Art Bieial, Gioai poti ad Rodolfo pallucchii, who had orgaized a retro-

sectie exhibitio of aitigs by Carlo Carrà, Giorgio Moradi ad Giorgio De Chirico for the 24th editio i 1948. A

few of the works exhibited had been loaned by Carlo Cardazzo, who was the owner of one of the most important pri-

vate collections of Italian modern art. Scarpa was selected as curator of the exhibition due to his cultural background

and his close friendship with Cardazzo.

After a decade or so as a collector, Cardazzo decided to become a gallery owner and art dealer. It was at this time

that he bega to work closely with his fried peggy Guggeheim. I 1942 he oeed i veice the rst Galleria del

Cavallino, which was strategically located at the beginning of Riva degli Schiavoni, just after the Prison building.

His friend Carlo Scarpa had carried out the adaptation of the pre-existing unadorned building into a gallery success-fully, ad without uecessary embellishmets. Oeig durig the war, its simle, yet iterestig desig reects the

eriod i which it was coceied. [4]

For Cardazzo the return of art to the centre of general interest after the long years of the Fascist regime presented

him with two different opportunities. On one hand it meant the opening of international markets for artists who had

been forced to accept the limited circulation of their work for years. On the other, it gave the bloodless artistic culture

of the lagoon the possibility of having an international dialogue.

The buildig roject, aced by Cardazzo, was to iterret this eed i a relatiely short time ad with the limited

means available at the time. It was to be the repetition of what Scarpa had done with the two installations at Galleria

del Cavallino.

Perhaps Cardazzo decided the general plan for the Pavilion together with his friends who were art critics and painters.

The costructio of the cocrete structure was etrusted to the family costructio comay. The buildig itself was

to have the feel of a temporary structure. Due to the complexity of the protocol surrounding property on the grounds

of the Bieial, a cocessio eriod of te years was stiulated after which time the Bieial would hae disosed of

the buildig. The oly thig missig was a deite roject with which to gie form to the geeral fuctios reiously

discussed. Once again his unquestionable respect for Scarpa made the choice of an architect quite simple.

The rst drawigs were reseted that witer. pressured by his fried, Scara had agreed to comlete the work by

the following June. He approached the project as if it were a true impromptu exercise, like an essay during his stud-ies at the Accademia – followig, howeer, his ow ersoal research. The temorary ature of the buildig let itself to

such a aroach while at the same time etrusted efforts to afrm a more comlete idea of his ersoal style to other

occasions. It is evident, however, that as time went on the project took hold of Scarpa in a more decisive statement of his

own compositional convictions, which went beyond a mere formal study.

It gave him the opportunity, which he had missed on so many other occasions, to test out, in a very ‘real’ setting, his

studies of Frak Lloyd Wright’s comlex rojects, which had fasciated him whe they aeared i the rst Euroea

publications of Wright’s work. Many of the texts on architecture and art, which he had studied over the years together

with the aiter Mario Deluigi, he had receied from his fried Cardazzo. Thaks to Caallio Editios, Cardazzo had

bee imortig literature ad art books sice the 30s for a umber of his bibliohile frieds. [5]. The pailio oeed,






Fig. 3

Carlo Scarpa. Perspective of

the Venezuela Pavilion, 1954.

G. Mazzariol: L’Architettura ,

(3) 1955.

Fig. 4

paul Klee – Betroffeer Ort (I-

teresting place). Watercolour

ad ik, 1922. Ber, Kustmu-

seum, Fondazione Paul Klee.

I 1948, durig the XXIv editio of the Bieial, Scara was curator for a retrosectie exhibitio of paul Klee’s ait-

ig, for which he aced a art of the exeses. The exhibitio was held i oe of the rooms i the Italia pailio.This was a examle of his iterest i the guratie studies beig doe by the Germa artist. [6]

In the previously mentioned essay by Mazzariol, a full-page reproduction of the prospective drawing of the Venezue-

lan Pavilion designed by Scarpa in 1954 was published. (Fig. 3)

At the bottom of the page there is a curious drawing of a broken arrow, placed diagonally. One can just imagine the

source of inspiration for the drawing. Scarpa’s arrow is undoubtedly a reference to Klee. (Fig. 4)

Reference to that particular symbolic form, which was a characteristic of Klee’s work in the 20s, was perhaps the

same that motiated the choice of layout la for the Book pailio. See from the drawig las, the buildig a-

pears as a giant arrow pointing towards the entrance of the Italian Pavilion.

In the design of both pavilions, then, silent tribute is paid to Klee’s workthrough the use of the arrow symbol.

Scarpa creates, in this way, an underlying personal ‘map of invention’ for

the works he desiged for the Bieial, which we will d agai – or aria-

tios thereof, i may of his future rojects. [3]

If the outline of the plan seems to follow a single hidden reference, the

body of the small pavilion reveals a two-fold composition, which was imme-

diately oted by Bruo Zei i “Metron”: “… he aears to hae exchaged

Modriaa for Wright.” noe the less, the shift towards the orgaic archi-

tecture of the ‘America master’ is still ot as comlete ad deitie as

Zei would hae liked. [7]

The etrace block made of solid brick follows a comositioal la that is

clearly deried from a eolastic sesibility. The geeral la is formed by

a large equilateral triangle that forms the arrowhead in which a series of

superimposed equilateral triangles lightens the stereometric consistency of

the block. Thaks to the reed “origamic” quality of the shaes geometric

play, the opening for the main entrance corresponds exactly to the apex.In contrast with this volumetrically compact block is the main volumetric

space of the exposition pavilion made up of a series of wooden beams that

cure to form the walls ad oor of the ailio. Moig forward they oe

u rogressiely to rest ally aboe a small terrace. See i its etirety,

the structure takes on the almost unreal shape of a giant insect with a

large head whose mouth is opened wide. A series of abdominal rings fol-

lows, which is interrupted by a tail-like end appearing vaguely defensive.

And yet, perhaps such a grotesque ‘organic nature’ was never the author’s

conscious intention.




Fig. 5:

- Plan

- Main elevation

- Lateral elevation

Drawing by architect Dario As-

sante




Analyzing the pavilion’s cross-section, we notice that it is made up of two angular beams united to form a severely lop-

sided arallelogram. This solutio roed to be statically difcult ad caused more tha a few roblems for the calcu-

latios of stress oits. The ecessity for such a form seems icomrehesible with regard to the formal comositio.

For may, the two beams are merely the result of the itersectio of two triagles, the rst beig a isosceles ad theother a scalee triagle obtaied by the agles of a commo set square used for drawig. This is the factual reality.

When compared to Wright’s numerous ‘inventions’ we realize that they are the same angles marking the slopes of

the roofs o the buildigs at the Ocatillo Desert Cam desiged by Wright i 1928-29 i Arizoa. These were small

Fig. 6:

Rear elevation. Drawing by ar-

chitect Dario Assante

Fig.7: F. Ll. Wright

- Ocatillo Desert Camp, Chan-

dler, Arizona, 1929. From: W. A. Storrer, The Frak Lloyd

Wright Companion, Univ. Chi-

cago Press, Chicago 1993.

-Hillside Fellowship Complex-

Taliesi III, Srig Gree, Wis-

consin-1933

Drafting studio (interior view)

Photograph by David Heald ©

The Solomo R. Guggeheim

Foudatio - new York.




pavilions designed as a work place for his own students for the project San Marcos in the Desert, a hotel complex

commissioed by Alexader Chadler. [8]“So, there should be o obious symmetry i the buildig i the desert.... The hard straight lie breaks to the dotted

lie where stark ecessity eds ad thus allows aroriate rhythm to eter i order to leae suggestio.” From the

barre desert ladscae Wright had catured a idea of satial olume that was almost trasaret. This idea will be

take u agai i the large studio room of Taliesi III i Srig Gree, Wiscosi [8] [9] ad deitiely i the desig

of Taliesi West i Scottsdale i the Arizoa desert. [8] [9]

The commo thread uitig the three rojects seems to be the framework of woode beams restig o a base of at-

ural stone and the inclined ceilings covered with large cloth drapery. Wright’s idea to use light from above as a means

of icororatig ature ca erhas be foud i the 1927 roject of six Beach Cottages built i Dumyât, Egyt. [8]

The mai characteristic of the accommodatio at Ocatillo Cam, used by Wright for oly four moths durig the witerof 1928-29, was that it was costructed i oly six weeks. Usig oly wood, the buildigs had o real roof. Istead,

there were prisms placed with different inclinations made from composite beams covered by sheets of glass and

simple cloth drapery. Due to these construction characteristics, the overall project cost was particularly inexpensive.

I beliee that formal ad costructie comarisos betwee these rojects ad the Book pailio are objectie ad

can be further highlighted by the repeated use of the triangle as a simple form whose function is to create a complex

spatial volume. Scarpa was obviously familiar with Wright’s work long before Wright’s trip to Italy in 1951 among

general enthusiasm for Italian architectural culture.

The prairie houses ad rojects from Wright’s rst eriod had bee ublished i Euroe for the rst time by the Ger -

ma editor Wasmuth i 1910 for a exhibitio i Berli. Aother exhibitio of Wright’s work was later held i Brussels,

Amsterdam ad Berli i 1931. From that momet o Wright’s work bega to iuece orther-Euroea architects

and Scarpa was one of them. In Scarpa’s personal library there were monographs and reviews of German and

French architecture from the 20s and 30s. At his death over 21 texts about the work of Wright were catalogued.

Scarpa surprises us for the courage with which he embraced a seemingly inadequate project theme and for how he

adated it to his ow fuctioal iterretatio which he deried from a secic formal referece. That meat that each

text was assessed carefully for its guratie cotet ad the umerous rojects were used for further study. It is also

probable that the projects found to be the most interesting were re-drawn, as only the ‘drawn’ knowledge of a project

can determine its immediate practical application and allow for appropriate variations.In this case the entire structure is made up of wooden beams whose extreme lightness form the body of the Pavilion.

Scara, moig away from the models, chages the width of the structure. This articular costructie formatio

allows the etire iterior sace to be ooded with light i the recise sot where the books will be dislayed. It also

offers a dyamic ercetio of the etire buildig due to the icliatio of the rooie. The ariatio i width of the

beams is therefore in function of the overall volumetric study of the Pavilion and allows for the placement of the more

compact block at the entrance.

The desert light i which Wright wated to immerse himself is oortuely ltered here by Scara i order to reet

damagig the books o dislay. O the south side a large, semi-circular ael lters atural light ad the four oe-

ings, wisely conceived as ellipsoidal shapes, look out onto the garden behind. On the opposite side, facing north, the




Fig. 8

– Books pailio, iteral iew.

Photo Archivio Galleria del

Cavallino (VE).

- The pailio after the re,

1984. photo Giaatoio Bat-

tistella / Malio Brusati (Tv).

wall does not provide any protection against the diffused light and to the view from the interior.

It is easy to deduce the intention to cover the entire space with glass panels and drapery. A solution, however, is foundwith the use of a light sheet of okra coloured steel, a colour that is like the light that penetrated through the drapery

i Wright’s architecture, a examle of which ca be see i the draftig room i Taliesi West. The fact that it fol -

lowed this model geerated some rather iroic fuctioal similarities. The Book pailio had issues with the roof ad

frequet leaks, as did may of Wright’s rojects. [8]

The wide roof lightly coers most of the sace leaig the side walls ad back wall comletely free. O studyig the

ailio from the etrace of the garde, oe otices that the uer triagular beam is reected i the similar woode

structure below in the shape of a trapezoid, which is left incomplete on the right side. Ideally our eye completes the

form as it follows the line of the equilateral triangle supporting the beam from below. At the same time one can infer

that in the area delineated by the protruding upper arrow the presence of the perfect outline of a large upside-downequilateral triagle. This lay of shaes cotiues icessatly i eery detail, o the horizotal ad ertical laes,

transforming itself into a labyrinth-like combinatorial art of invisible triangulations.

The relatioshi the pailio has with light seems to be aother ricile theme, from both a formal ad comositioal

stadoit. Therefore, it is robable that the small exteral terrace, laced o a slightly lower leel ad with uusually

sharp edges, is the tangible form of the projection of the shadow cast at sunrise by the roof, while the small triangle

which completes it is the shadow at sunset from the furthest triangle of the arrow.

Scarpa does not hesitate to emphasize the differences existing simultaneously among the different spatial volumes

of the pailio ee through the use of light. Origially the pailio did ot hae articial lightig. It was to be oe

from ‘morig till ight’ ad illumied oly with atural light. The large triagular-shaed roof cotrasts with the satial

olume of the etrace, which is at ad surrouded by widowless quadragular walls. The light, which reaches the

pailio laterally, desceds from aboe at this oit creatig a uexected sot light from aboe. Three oeigs,

formed by three equilateral triagles, emhasize the three leels that close the roof lae. The itersectios, both

between the vertical planes and horizontal planes, become further openings which allow the oblique light to fall onto




the solid wall surfaces.

The obserer’s oit of referece ierts here ad shifts from the ertical lae of the room to the horizotal oe.Lookig u towards the ceilig the buildig la ally becomes exlicit i a recurrig drawig of triagles that form

the complex door opening as well.

4. CONCLUSIONS

With his rst ex oo buildig, I beliee it is eidet that Scara maaged to fully exress the referece oits for

his work. The eutectic, creatie ad comositioal rocess of the pailio reresets the ‘erfect fusio’ of differet

architectural themes joined forever by the remarkably laborious personal study carried out playfully with all possible

means of the discipline: shapes, materials, geometry, light and shadow.

Bruo Zei astutely recogized the itierat ad comlex ature of Scara’s search. The body of his work wascharacterized from the ery begiig as a liely ad curious ‘jourey’ without, howeer, a al destiatio ad those

steadfast certainties attainable only by others.

With this rst work, Scara deloyed a creatie rocess based o “cotamiatio”, a irtue ecessary for a restorer.

This, howeer, was redered cosciously rolic through the classical harmoy of the “cociity”. It becomes clear

the that for Scara o detail ca be a ‘fragmet’. It belogs to ad eelos the same foudig riciles. The

gruelling attempt for coherency to an equally laborious procedure corresponds with what he would declare much

later at the coferece orgaized by the Academy of Fie Arts i viea i noember 1976: “We might say that the

architecture we would like to be oetry should call itself harmoy istead.” Ad he cocluded sayig: “The alue of a

work cosists i its exressio - whe somethig is exressed well, its alue is magied.”

Of course this is true, - and it might be pointless to add - only for those who are able to appreciate it.

REFERENCIES

1 – Controspazio (3-4) 1972. Issue o Carlo Scara, edited by Malio Brusati.

2 – L’Architettura , (3) 1955 p. 363.

3 – AA.vv., Carlo Scarpa. Mostre e musei 1944-1976; Case e paesaggi 1972-1978. Electa, Milano 2000

4 – D. Assate, F. Berta, Carlo Scarpa. Il Padiglione del Libro alla Biennale di Venezia, Cavallino, Venezia 2000.

5 – A. Fatoi, Il gioco del Paradiso, Cavallino, Venezia 1996.

6 – p. Klee, Catalogue Raisonné, ol. I-IX, 1883-1940, paul Klee Stiftug, Kustmuseum Ber, Ber 1998-2004.7 – F. Dal Co, G. Mazzariol, Carlo Scarpa. Opera completa, Electa, Milao 1984.

8 – W. A. Storrer, The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion, Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago 1993

9 – AA. vv., Frank Lloyd Wright architetto 1867-1959, Electa, Milano 1994.

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