A Immense concrete block He stands at the astonished gaze of those who contemplate him. Rough, imposing, without unnecessary ornaments, only pure cement showing its essence. There is no marble, nor elaborate moldings, nor decorated facades. Is brutalin the most literal sense of the word. This is the brutalist architecture, a current that moves away from subtlety and ornamentation to show the Raw materials at its maximum expression.
This Architectural style has gained special relevance thanks to The Brutalistthe movie of Brady Corbet who has devastated the 97th edition of the Oscar Awards With 10 nominations, including Best movie and Best Actoralthough he has only won three awards.
Starring Adrien Brodythat it was crowned as the best interpreter, the film follows the story of a Hungarian architect who emigrates to the United States after World War II to face a monumental assignment: build a concrete complex for an eccentric magnate.
With 215 minutes of footage and shot in Vistensiona forgotten technique for more than six decades, this independent production of less than 13 million dollars has managed to capture the attention of the academy and the public – although it has not been proclaimed as the best of the year -.
Concrete and functionality: The origins of brutalist architecture
But brutalism is not just a backdrop in the film. He is a character in himself, with his rugged geometric shapes and his commitment to functionality without artifice. A style that He was born in the postwar period In response to Reconstruction needs: resistant, economic and unnecessary aesthetic buildings.
Its main driver was Le Corbusierthat with his Unitè d’abperion In Marseille he laid the foundations of the movement, using the concrete in its purest state. The word Brutalism comes from the French term Béton Brutwhat does it mean raw concreteand was adopted by the British critic Reyner Banham To describe this naked architecture.
The austerity of brutalism does not mean lack of character. Its structures transmit a SEnsation of solidity and permanencewith large geometric volumes that play with light and shadow. Although its origin was eminently functional, over time it became a Declaration of principles: An architecture that does not hide anything, that does not pretend to be something that is not.
This approach led him to expand around the worldfrom the United Kingdom to the United States and Spain, where examples such as White towers or the building Walden 7 by Ricardo Bofill in Barcelona. Out of the homelands are the Boston City Hall or the famous Barbican from London.
Of rejection of claim
However, not everyone has appreciated their rawness. Over the years, many of these buildings were considered cold and unattractivewhich led to his abandonment or even demolition. Even so, brutalism has found New defenders That they see in him a different beauty, an aesthetic that challenges conventions and claims the honesty of the materials.
The movie The Brutalist He has achieved more than success in the Oscars: he has revived interest in an architectural style that, although sometimes misunderstood, remains to be seen in the urban landscape. It is the most reliable sample that architecture does not need to be delicate to be great.
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