Vintage Grandame of Mexico City
by Mark Tisdale
Title
Vintage Grandame of Mexico City
Artist
Mark Tisdale
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
I didn't get to see nearly as much of Mexico City as I would have liked, but as it happened I was just down the street from the Palacio de Bellas Artes. Construction of this striking piece of architecture was begun in 1904, but it wasn't completed until decades later. This is not a story like the Medieval cathedrals where construction took generations to complete. Rather the last Mexican Revolution put a temporary stop to construction of this cultural center in Mexico City.
That lull in construction also affected the look of the Palace of Fine Arts. Art Nouveau was the architectural style that was de rigueur when construction began. By the time it resumed, Art Deco had taken over. The result was a building that crosses between those two themes. I'm told this architectural mixture is especially apparent on the interior of the Palacio. The Art Nouveau influence is especially apparent in that beautiful roof. This is a building that would not be out of place in Paris!
Aside from the beautiful lines of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, one of the first things I noticed was the building's proportions seemed a bit short? I would soon find out why. Mexico City, as many know, was built on what was once a lake. And the beautiful Palacio is one of many exhibits of why this may not have been a great idea. This grandame of Mexico City has sunk so much since it was constructed that the first floor is now below ground!
There was something about the light hitting the Palacio the morning I stood there that had such a warm glow that it reminded me of the color of vintage photos. I ran with that feeling. The result is a photo that I feel could almost be mistaken for one from decades before my own birth. Don't you love the vintage patina of those old photos?
Here's hoping I get back to Mexico City again before I have to enter the Palacio de Bellas Artes on the third floor!
Uploaded
May 13th, 2013
Statistics
Viewed 397 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 04/19/2024 at 7:58 PM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet