Living In Old Havana

by Connie Handscomb

Title

Living In Old Havana

Artist

Connie Handscomb

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Fine Art

Description

The purest and most thoughtful minds are those that like colour the most.
~ John Ruskin
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In the brilliant, hot sunshine, Havana bursts with the colours and styles of the Art Deco period. Havana, Cuba is colourful! And, it is a mixture of blended styles.

Spanish colonialists of the 1500's brought their Moorish bulding style with them here, with some adaptations. The portales (semi-enclosed porches) became widespread as an adaptation to the hot climate, with barred windows that could remain open all the time, to accommodate the humidity.

The 1600's brought a baroque style, uniquely its own, called Cuban baroque. The 1700's brought a French influence. The neoclassical style brought with it many columns (Havana is known as the City of Columns). The 1900's brought an American influence to the architecture.

The Roaring 20's were a lively, prosperous time and brilliant colours symbolized the energy of that period, such as bright peacock blue and canary yellow. The gold colour represented the epitome of the wealth, glitz and glamour of the Art Deco style, which gained worldwide popularity during the 1930's.

One of the formative influences of the style was art nouveau's use of motifs of nature, sunrises, flowers and shells. The flowing, organic lines were replaced with lines that were clean, and shapes became geometric and angular. Surfaces were luxurious. Overall, it was symmetrical and balanced, sleek and elegant .

African safaris and visits to Egypt were popular at the time, especially after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. Pyramids and sphinxes and other Egyptian decorations became part of the style while doorway details were influenced by the buildings of Egypt.

After the revolution of 1959, under the regime of Fidel Castro, the buildings (like the cars) remained colourful, although they began to fall into disrepair due to lack of supplies.

Old Town Havana (La Habana Vieja) was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 : Ref. 204

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The bright, cheery colours in this city are reminders of a time of affluence, and while the city buildings have fallen derelict , the souls that inhabit the neighbourhoods look within their doorways for the richness of their lives.

This image was taken while strolling in the heat of the hot afternoon sun, the colours as vibrant as the brilliant orb in the clear blue sky above.

💕 Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA groups for featuring this image:

UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Picturesque Neighbourhoods Of The World
A City For All Of Us

Uploaded

May 31st, 2017

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