Light in Architecture

sixfocused light – shadowplay

Opposite page Window shutters in Luis Barragán’s house and studio in Tacubaya, Mexico City, 1948.

When the magic lantern playsUnreal figures it displays,On the white wall thrown;Helped more by shadow-projectionsThan light’s quivering reflections …And the fleeting shade, dispelled Even by the glow beheld,Feigns a solid form to beMoving in dimensions three,But not one surface does it own.

– Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695), First Dream (Primero sueño)

From Reason to Emotion – The Baroque Approach

Each era of serenity and balance is followed by one in which art aims to reflect the complexity of life itself, beyond ...