Modern architecture in Chile. The case of Roberto Dávila Carson

Abstract

Modern Architecture that began in Europe at early XX Century has reached Chile through publications, but also through the travelling of Chilean architects to Europe. Trying to apply the modern principles in Chile, those architects have found a strong resistance of the high society which was used to style architecture. That’s the reason why, in Chile, modern architecture has began as one style amongst the other existing ones. However, rationality, economy and rapidity of that new architecture make it attractive to a State willing to endow the country with infrastructure. Dávila has travelled to Europe in a study commission in 1930. He visited Le Corbusier´s first works, took courses with Georges Vantongerloo and Theo Van Doesburg (De Stijl), and took formal postgraduate studies in Austria, obtaining his architecture degree by the Viena Academy of Beaux Arts in June of 1932. This year, the architecture magazine “Modern Bauformen” published his works. Back in Chile, Dávila has became Professor and Dean of the “Universidad de Chile”. Dávila has never embraced extreme modern architecture, trying always to adapt the principles of modernism to the local reality, supporting modernism critics, mixing modern architecture concepts with tradition represented by colonial Chilean architecture. Even though it has failed in form, it is the beginning of a search for a new cultural identity for Latin American architecture.

Key words: modern architecture, European vanguard, critical modernism.