An architect with whom I spoke on the subject assures that it is not something exclusive to our country, but a worldwide trend, arising from the globalization processes. He expressed that "never in history such homogeneity was so evident in the way of building. That is why; today almost no contrasts are noticed between the cities regarding their new buildings."
Indeed, many current constructive proposals seem cloned. They resemble each other and just a few are inspired by the residential models with more than a century. The culmination of these "fossils" was foreseen by the Canadian city planner, Jane Jacobs, when she said that they are doomed to become museums, where each building will be an important piece, but without links to those around it.
As it happens with fashion, trends appear and disappear after enjoying their minute of glory. Buildings are not the exception. They are also more identified with their time than with their past. Regarding the art of vocations, postmodernism seems to have opted for the functional to the detriment of the aesthetic without taking into account that beauty is polysemic. Everyone perceives, interprets and appreciates it according their free will.
WHAT ABOUT THE ART OF THE BUILDERS?
Empirical builders are spread in Cuban populations. The constructive movement by own effort assures them market. Some orient their work just to beat cement mixture or brickwork. Few builders work with plaster (not abundant) or conceive wall designs. The owner of the house tells them: "I want the living and dining rooms and kitchen on the left, and the bathroom and bedrooms on the right." The typical drawer! Nevertheless, with that data and the rudiments of the work, they have enough.
Joel Yánez says that "imitating the beauty of some old houses would be a complicated task today," while he is covered in cement to the hair. "The tradition of artistic detail in our work was lost when the specialists of that time died. I was told that they have left no heirs. Today the practical thing is what encourages people. The person who urgently needs a house wants the construction process to be fast and is not very interested in aesthetics. "
However, some houses take distance from those clichés and show good aesthetic. Is it because of the sensitivity of its owners, the fantasy of the designer or the capital of the family? Clearly, it was not all over when the former professionals took their art to the grave. Michel, another builder says that "if you propose it, you may achieve beautiful things." Look at the columns in my porch, they seem turned! I always try to apply new ideas. If I don't do it, routine will finish me."
WHAT ABOUT CARPENTRY?
Aníbal Ordóñez has carpentry embedded in his DNA. His grandfather and father were cabinetmakers, and he threw his teeth between the sawdust and the stridency of the family's workshop. In his more than 50 years of work, he has made furniture of all kinds: for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, computer tables, and others...
However, despite his long experience with wood, he confesses that he is not considered capable, by himself, of making a refined bookcase of cedar or mahogany "like those before", full of difficult cuts or a Louis XV desk, with assemblies and engravings everywhere. According to him, that requires the carpenter's artistic sensibility. In addition, you must have suitable tools, which do not abound.
Aníbal adds that "sometimes we have to invent our own work instruments, because some do not even appear in stores. Moreover, when you find them, they have poor quality and at a very high cost. A drill with its set of augers, for example, is worth a fortune as well as a lathe. Yes, carpentry is an art, but it requires first-class irons. The other thing is that good wood is not cheap. Not everyone can afford it. "
However, there are carpenters out there who insist on making art with the scarce technical resources they have today. They show it at the gates of some state buildings and private constructions of any Cuban city. Many would have nothing to envy to a colonial gate of the best workmanship. Judging by their excellence, they were all embossed with love, a component that is clearly indispensable for producing authentic art.
ART BETWEEN GRILLS
The use of metal bars as decorative elements had its first climax in the already distant times of the colony. They used to be placed, usually, in the wide doors and windows of the houses of that time. They exhibited varied designs from the originality of the blacksmiths or from the preferences of those who commissioned them. Its contribution to real estate aesthetics was admirable.
Although it would be risky to affirm that artistic blacksmithing is today a sort of rare luck in the housing context of our country, its gradual loss of connotation seems unquestionable in the face of the new times. The security that guarantees a strong lattice has been imposed on the elegance that its inclusion pays. However, security and elegance do not necessarily have to be excluded. They can coexist fully without compromising one or the other.
Originality is the great absence in the making of these decorative elements. In the image and likeness of builders and carpenters, the blacksmiths make their August among those who entrust them with secure bars, no matter the design. Josué, one of the blacksmiths says that "I know someone who made a catalog to help customers choose the model of their preference. According to him, they always prioritize solidity over beauty. That is why one becomes more a merchant than an artist."
Nevertheless, if many homeowners are not enthusiastic about the lattices of artistic design - because of their high costs, and because they believe them unnecessary, and because of the low availability of steel ...-, the state buildings could rescue them in order to preserve their ornamental tradition. If the blacksmiths do not show the interest or talent of yesteryear, the technical and vocational schools should train them with the collaboration of the most experienced in this ancient vocation.
HOW TO TEACH A VOCATION
The School of Crafts, Israel Marrero Barbán, in Las Tunas, has six multi-purpose workshops, aimed
at masonry, textile manufacturing, electricity, adjustments, carpentry and computing.
Photo: Leydis María Labrador
The Israel Marrero trade school in Las Tunas has its well-defined educational profile. It is not a polytechnic or a special center. It is simply different. Their programs welcome those who have dropped out high school studies or have not shown proficiency to approve them. Their facilities prepare them to start the working life when they reach 17 years-old, the age required in Cuba for such purpose.
The educational institution has multi-purpose workshops where students work in abilities such as building and carpentry. Their teachers do not intend to turn them into artists of the spoon and the saw - I hope it was!-, but to teach them the essentials to make a living.
Pedro Barbán, a professor with more than 30 years in the cabinetmaking says that "here we begin training them in the most common carpentry activities, such as measuring, spinning and tracing." Then, the program becomes more complex, they make simple furniture and even some more complicated pieces. I try to help them learn to the fullest, but there is no time for detail."
According to Barbán, artistic carpentry is not taught, but is learned alongside good carpenters. Today few of his colleagues make woodcarvings or fancy turns. He admits in the middle of his class that "the maelstrom of life makes people utilitarian, and we are no exception."
AN ART THAT WILL NEVER DIE
Did the sensitivity of Cubans change to beauty? Did the architects of cement, steel and wood disappear definitively? Should we resign ourselves to live with the homogeneity? Why do you enjoy visiting a historic center more than a modern neighborhood? Everyone will have his or her answer at hand. Nonetheless, despite modernity and conventions, art will never disappear. An artist will always be that person who knows how to dignify his vocation.
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