10.35090/GATECH/81
Critelli, Fernanda
Richard Neutra: Latin American Connections
RICHARD NEUTRA: Latin American Connections
Georgia Institute of Technology
2021
Richard Neutra
Latin America
Design
Connections
Historiographical discourse
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
2021-03-04
2021-03-04
2021-02
en-US
Paper
http://hdl.handle.net/1853/64335
ConCave Ph.D. Symposium 2020: Divergence in Architectural Research, March 5-6, 2020, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Current historiographical discourse on Richard Neutra’s designs and professional trajectory constantly repeat assessments that express the strangeness regarding some aspects of his works. With that in mind, and after identifying those aspects, the purpose of this paper is to present an analysis on Neutra’s designs from a different point of view: one that acknowledges his connections with Latin American architects and identifies in those strangeness the reflections of this relation. The first step was to understand the historical background, Neutra’s trip to South America and connections established there, and United States’ political situation of the time. After that, the systematic reading of the main studies/books on Neutra revealed a gap in the understanding of his works, or even a lack of a more focused analysis in some aspects of his designs. By changing the point of view and, also, by looking to those strange aspects with a closer attention, new interpretations can be made that consider Neutra’s trajectory in all its particularities, including the relationship established with Latin America. The result is a possibility for new discussions on the architect’s legacy and a contribution to the historiographical discourse.