Compose two styles

Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.

How to divide the work

Composition
Follow Latin American Modernism: Close the outside with thick walls, opening only to courtyard and water
Type
Set in Latin American Modernism's manner (Sink signage into the wall color and let shadow make it readable), and let Tropical Modernism's lettering (Place signs in the shade of the eaves so glare never blanks them.) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
Material
Ground in Latin American Modernism's material (Rough plaster in one vivid color, with the hour's light calculated in); bring in exactly one thing from Tropical Modernism (Concrete louvers, perforated terracotta blocks, timber shutters that breathe.).
Colour
Build on #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615 and admit one accent from #e2dfcc, #779173, #48514a.

Where they fight

  • Both belong to Modern Architecture, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable.

Caution

  • Latin American Modernism Painting walls in vivid color without designing openings and shadow makes the color glare evenly, giving loudness instead of the intended stillness.
  • Tropical Modernism Louvers and canopies added as shapes, with no calculation of orientation and sun angles, stop neither sun nor rain. Look past a tropical look to colonial rule, nation building after independence and local architects.

Image prompt

An original image that takes its structure from Latin American Modernism (Style, 1940s–1980s) and its accent from Tropical Modernism (Style, 1940s–1970s). Structural cues: Walls of vivid color; Staged light and water; Thick walls and stillness; Modernism rooted in place. Accent cues, used sparingly: Brise-soleil; Deep eaves; Cross-ventilation; Permeable screens. Composition: Close the outside with thick walls, opening only to courtyard and water. Type and lettering: Sink signage into the wall color and let shadow make it readable. Let one material quality come from the second style: Concrete louvers, perforated terracotta blocks, timber shutters that breathe.. Mood: Exhilaration, Intimacy, Calm, Trust, Futurism. Color: build on #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615 with a single accent drawn from #e2dfcc, #779173, #48514a. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.

Related entries

  • Latin American Modernism 1940s–1980s / Style / Modern Architecture

    Latin American modern architecture rewrote the International Style in local color, light and feeling. Barragán's colored walls and water, and Niemeyer's curves, proved that modern building too could carry the emotion of a place.

  • Tropical Modernism 1940s–1970s / Style / Modern Architecture

    Adapts modern architecture to hot, humid climates through canopies, louvers, ventilation and sun control.

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