The Decorative Finish IV
Venetian Plaster
Part II.
From the health clinic on Alcala I walked to over Constitucion and Reforma to see the new building added recently to the Philatelic Museum. I had passed it one evening and knowing that it had been under reconstruction I was uncertain if the finish was a preparatory plaster prior to being painted or if it too was Venetian plaster. It was the latter.
The Philatelic Museums is one of the real gems in Oaxaca not only for its physical presentation but for it’s collection as well. Follow the links below and give yourself a treat. The interior of the museum, made from a reclaimed building is modern in the most wonderful way. But that it a problem. The center area of Oaxaca is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its baroque Spanish architecture. As more and more buildings are renovated with modern interiors, UNESCO has issued a waning and has said that if it continues, they might rescind the Heritage site designation.
On the museum’s Reforma side the finish is in burnt sienna applied in a designed haphazard pattern as if referencing the abandoned building that had stood here for many many years. It sometimes happens that architects will design buildings that attempt to be compatible with their surroundings. That makes sense if the neighborhood is not going to be changed over a long period of time, or in a place like Oaxaca that often seems eternal. However here where the design of the facade matches the others in the neighbrhood, here the latest trends in interior decoration seem out of place.
On the shorter, Constitucion, side it is raw sienna rather than burnt sienna and incorporates local stone and faux patchwork repair areas.
I find the burnt sienna side tending toward contrived in its planned slapdash manner. The yellow side is completely contrived and thus for my money unsuccessful. In essence it was an attempt to present something different, something unique, something artistically decorative. I am not convinced that Oaxaca needs marbled facades, faux or no. I am reminded of Suzanne Langer’s comment that contrivance is the antithesis of art.
But we were discussing Venetian plaster…
The museum web site is VERY slow to load. Better to see the Facebook...photos..and google search...images.
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