Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools

Book Description

"A revolution of forms is a revolution of essentials."-JosŽ Mart’, Cuban intellectual and independence leader.

Although the current surge of interest in Cuba has extended to that country's architecture, few know that the most outstanding architectural achievement of the Cuban Revolution stands neglected just outside Havana.

The Escuelas Nacionales de Arte (National Art Schools), constructed from 1961 to 1965, were the result of an educational program initiated by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara soon after the Revolution of 1959. The architects they commissioned created an organic complex of brick and terra-cotta Catalan vaulted structures that reflected the optimism and exuberance of the period. The schools attempted to reinvent architecture, just as the Revolution hoped to reinvent society. However, even before construction was completed, the schools fell out of official favor and were subjected to an attack that resulted in their subsequent "disappearance." An ideological campaign branded them politically incorrect, a bourgeois luxury that was not in keeping with the Revolution. The buildings fell into disuse and, abandoned to the jungle, were literally overgrown. Now, almost 40 years later, Cuba is beginning to recognize and reclaim these significant works of architecture.

Revolution of Forms investigates the history and politics surrounding the creation of these structures as well as their subsequent abandonment. The text is accompanied by archival photographs, plans, and images of the present condition of these structures.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely.........2006-05-31

I used to live in Havana and went there recently three years ago. There, I took some tours of the art schools and it was rather sad the condition of the buildings.

This is the only book that has documents on these very special places.

Sincerely,

Alfonso Lopez Cousiño

Best Source on The 5 Schools.......2001-11-16

This book is the best source out there on these schools. It covers the politics of the time in Cuba, the design process, and all of the schools. I only wish it had more detailed information on the catalan vault system. There are great photos and floorplans, but no sections or construction drawings.

An intensely emotional story of passion against bureaucracy.......2001-01-17

If you are willing to tackle a superbly written book on the architecture of these buildings, you will find that the real art in this book is Loomis' telling of the intensely human story of the people who created them. Through the many details of Loomis' excellent research, the reader becomes part of the early days of post-revolutionary Cuba; first feeling the inspiration of the creation of these uniquely beautiful buildings and then the despair at their inevitable fall from grace. Not incidentally, the book also is an excellent reference on bureaucratic destruction (more powerful than a wrecking ball...)

If John had only given a little more information on how the Catalan arch can be constructed without scaffolding, the book would have been perfect.

I'm now considering reading "Ay, Cuba! : A Socio-Erotic Journey" (by Andrei Codrescu) as a chaser, but contrast of styles could cause permanent neural fracturing...

Informative and well researched.......1999-08-07

I think that John A. Loomis was very through in his research of Cuba's forgotten Art Schools. He put a lot of time and work into making this book as informative and educational as possible. The comparisons of the art schools in the 60's to how they are today is remarkable. He shows how over time the once beautiful and rapidly developing Cuba has been forgotten and now is quickly deteriorating and losing it's beauty. I think that John A. Loomis wrote this book with a lot of knowledge and understanding of Cuba and it's art schools.

Las Escuelas de Artes: obra emblematica........1999-01-18

La tarde del 3 enero de 1961, Fidel y el Che jugaron una partida de golf en el exclusivo Country Club de La Habana. El hecho hubiera sido irrelevante si no es porque, conmovidos por el esplendoroso paisaje y el bien cuidado campo y euforicos por la campana de alfabetizacion que habian iniciado dos dias antes, a los dirigentes se les ocurrio la idea de que en ese mismo lugar se deberia construir unas escuelas internacionales de artes, calificadas luego por Fidel como "La mas hermosa academia de artes de todo el mundo" (Noticias de Hoy, 4 mayo 1963). El propio Fidel escogio al arquitecto Ricardo Porro y fue Selma Diaz quien le llevo la encomienda. La historia la recoge John A. Loomis en su polemico libro "Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools".

Treinta y ocho anos despues de esa partida, las Escuelas de Artes de Porro, Gottardi y Garatti siguen siendo objeto de grandes polemicas. Loomis, en su apologia las reivindica como la obra emblematica de la revolucion cubana. Arquitectura Cuba dedica su numero 377 a Ricardo Porro y sus escuelas de Artes Plasticas y de Danza Moderna y el numero siguiente (378) a Roberto Gottardi y su Escuela de Arte Dramatico.

La polemica sigue abierta.

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Revolution of Forms: Cuba's Forgotten Art Schools
John A. Loomis
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1BCB0

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Posta Insecta - Postcard Book
Helen Buttfield
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1556705271

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All American Hippie Comix
Dan Steffan , Charles Burns , and Reed Waller
Manufacturer: Kitchen Sink
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0878162992

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Europa: hacia la crisis. (Europa Occidental)(TT: Europe: towards the crisis) (TA: Western Europe): An article from: Siempre!
León Opalín
Manufacturer: Edicional Siempre
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00098B66U
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on September 3, 1998. The length of the article is 1364 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Europa: hacia la crisis. (Europa Occidental)(TT: Europe: towards the crisis) (TA: Western Europe)
Author: León Opalín
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: September 3, 1998
Publisher: Edicional Siempre
Volume: v45 Issue: n2359 Page: p46(2)

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Lecturas De Economia Monetaria Internacional: Teoria E Integracion Monetaria Europea (Economia Y Empresa)

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Lecturas De Economia Monetaria Internacional: Teoria E Integracion Monetaria Europea (Economia Y Empresa)
Saturnino Aguado Sebastian , and Manuel Ahijado Quintillan
Manufacturer: Piramide Ediciones Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 8436813030

Politica Monetaria Y Politica Fiscal (Economia Y Gestion Internacional)

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Politica Monetaria Y Politica Fiscal (Economia Y Gestion Internacional)
Antonio Erias Rey , and Jose M. Sanchez Santos
Manufacturer: Piramide Ediciones Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Economic Conditions | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Economia Monetaria Internacional
Fernando O. Scaglia
Manufacturer: Alfaomega Grupo Editor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Amazon.com

As the author of more than 60 books, as well as hundreds of proposals for government and business projects, Herman Holtz knows how to both create such critical documents and show others how to successfully craft them on their own. Proven Proposal Strategies to Win More Business, a complete handbook designed for anyone competing for a contract, outlines his proven step-by-step approach to tackling the development process from start to finish. Real-life examples illustrate how proposals can be transformed into "power-packed sales presentations," while a complete index allows readers to find specific information whenever necessary.

Book Description

Author Herman Holtz shares the hard won tips and strategies that have helped him create hundreds of winning proposals in this advanced guide for professionals who are looking for an extra "edge". Proven Proposal Strategies to Win More Business gives you the direction and guidance you need to become truly competitive. Before you begin to write your next proposal, read this book from cover to cover. And may the best proposal (yours) win!

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Excellent Book About Obtaining Govt. Business Opportunities.......2000-03-25

As a small business development consultant, I have first-hand knowledge about the complexities faced by entrepreneurs wishing to do business with the federal government. I found that this book provides, first of all, organized steps for a business entity to become a federal or state government client. Of special interest is the information about the need for entrepreneurs to seek information about forecasts of federal agencies procurement needs prior to their final publication in the CBD (plan ahead strategy vs. last minute up-the-hill proposal preparation strategy). Another interesting area is the awareness provided about the required e-commerce techniques necessary for businesses to successfully obtain federal contracts. I found that the recommendations and easy-to-follow (at least compared to other similar books) procedures to respond to a RFP the most hands-on sections of the book. Again, the area of federal procurement is very arduous, but with the help of this useful book, the implemetation of the recommended strategies, specially those mentioned above, entrepreneurs (specially small business entrepreneurs) will increase their opportunities to be new Uncle Sam clients. I highly recommend it.

Book Description

Volume 2 contains case studies.

Employment has been adopted as a leading concern for the United Nations World Social Summit in March 1995. This important study, prepared for the Summit by the World Institute for Development Economics Research, comprises a wide-ranging set of investigations of the rapidly changing situation in the North, the new market economies of Eastern Europe and the increasingly heterogeneous economies of the South. Economists and other social scientists explore what the complex tendencies in the global economy mean for the changing nature of work and rising levels of joblessness, and the issues and policies being thrown up in response to new structural trends.

Customer Reviews:

It's a wonderful guide for the caregiver........1998-04-30

No caregiver will be able to resist the urge to try Billie's suggestions. Her stories touch your heart and soul and make you realize "I've been there..I've done that!" And, you are not alone in your struggle to help your soulmate or friend get through this debilitating disease. It's a wonderful guide to the technical, medical and agencies involved with Alzheimer and all forms of dementia.

Thank you for realizing the need to compile such helpful inf.......1998-04-08

The information gathered from reading this book has helped me cope with the situation I find myself thrown into at a time in my life when I had expected to be free of most of life's troubles. Caring for aged parents can be confusing, confining and an overwhelming experience.The support this book has provided has been exceptional!

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An important, scholarly work

Viewpoint of a student

Eurocentrics always declare the "other" as "cannibal"

The paradigm begins to shift in Southwestern prehistory

Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest
Steven A LeBlanc
Manufacturer: University of Utah Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Native American | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Southwest | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Archaeology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Man Corn: Cannibalism and Violence in the Prehistoric American Southwest

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Archaeology Of Chaco Canyon: An Eleventh Century Pueblo Regional Center (School of American Research Advanced Seminar)

ASIN: 0874809088

Book Description

Massacres, raiding parties, ambush, pillage, scalping, captive taking: the things we know and sometimes dread to admit occur during times of war all happened in the prehistoric Southwest-and there is ample archaeological evidence. Not only did it occur, but the history of the ancient Southwest cannot be understood without noting the intensity and impact of this warfare. Most people today, including many archaeologists, view the Pueblo people of the Southwest as historically peaceful, sedentary corn farmers. Our image of the Hopis and Zunis, for example, contrasts sharply with the more nomadic Apaches whose warfare and raiding abilities are legendary. In PREHISTORIC WARFARE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST Steven LeBlanc demonstrates that this picture of the ancient Puebloans is highly romanticized. Taking a pan-Southwestern view of the entire prehistoric and early historic time range and considering archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence and oral traditions, he presents a different picture. War, not peace, was commonplace and deadly throughout the prehistoric sequence. Many sites were built as fortresses, communities were destroyed, and populations massacred. The well-known abandonments of much of the Southwest were warfare related. During the late prehistoric period fighting was particularly intense, and the structure of the historic pueblo societies was heavily influenced by warfare. Objectively sought, evidence for war and its consequences is abundant. The people of the region fought for their survival and evolved their societies to meet the demands of conflict. Ultimately, LeBlanc asserts that the warfare can be understood in terms of climate change, population growth, and their consequences.

Customer Reviews:

An important, scholarly work.......2003-10-08

This book is very interesting (at least for someone who has lived in the area all his life and seen many of the sites it mentions)and convincing. As one of the earlier reviews reflects - and as the book itself clearly expects - this interpretation of the evidence highly offends those for whom ideology trumps acheology. The books' tone is rather dry; this is written as a scholarly work, not a popularization, and may not be exciting reading except for archeology majors.

Viewpoint of a student.......2003-07-09

This book is absolutely fabulous! The author has done a good job of providing a read that is both very informative, but not at all a "dry read" so to speak. I found this book enjoyable, as a matter of fact.

Also, i'm about to enter college as an anthropology major, and i am interested in pursuing a topic simular to the the subject of this book (it will be something dealing with warfare in the southwest, that's for certain) as a thesis, so no doubt this book will help me with that as well when the time comes for that.

Eurocentrics always declare the "other" as "cannibal".......2003-01-23

With this book, author Leblanc allies himself with Christy Turner, both who appear to be fixated on their belief that Native Americans of the southwest were cannibals. Turner is notorious for shaping evidence to fit his narrow interpretation for cannibalism in the southwest. Leblanc appears to be following in the same narrow sphere of opinionated and inflamatory analysis of partial facts in order to make his case.

For example, Leblanc illustrates a group of atifacts he calls "swords" (105), although we do not know that what these are. There are people who know what these things are and what they mean. Why don't we hear their voices here?

Chapter Two, entitled "Evidence for Warfare" cites an excerpt of the story "The Destruction of Awatovi" (44), as written by Malotki (1993), suggesting to the reader that the fall of Awatovi was an act of war. Actually, Awatovi's destruction is a much more complex story, and was not an act of war but one of resistence and survival.

Leblanc claims that "warfare is a subject we would all like to ignore", although evidence is clearly to the contrary. History is an accounting of wars. Today's political manuvers use war as a mechanism to foster capitalism, trade, and world commerce.

There are other evidentiary problems in the text. A strong editor could have helped with these difficulties.

The paradigm begins to shift in Southwestern prehistory.......1999-06-06

This book is one of a triad published almost simultaneously by three different professionals assaulting traditional assumptions about the prehistory of the Southwest. Each of these works is formidable and collectively they will probably result in a paradigm shift in the interpretation of the nature of prehistoric society in the region. The other two works are Man Corn by Christy Turner, and The Chaco Meridian by Stephen Lekson. LeBlanc's work will jolt those comfortable with past versions of southwestern prehistory characterized by peaceful farmers living in harmony with one another and nature. LeBlanc offers a history, typology, and context for violence in the prehistoric Southwest. He devotes much space on a period of unusual warmth and moisture in the Southwest, 900 to 1200 AD. This era was dominated by a political center in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The Chacoans may have dominated as much as fifty thousand square miles of the Southwest at this time. Chaco's political/military structure may justify calling it a regional variant of a Mesoamerican statelet.

For Chacoan times, LeBlanc feels there is much evidence of cannibalism, but very little of actual warfare. This is explained by the likelihood that those bold enough to defy the Lords of Chaco were exterminated and cannibalized. Cannibalism was an instrument of policy to terrorize potential rebels and ensure Chaco's dominion. Benign climate and enforced peace created a population explosion. The party ended when a series of droughts undermined the agricultural base. By the late 1200's the Southwest entered a prolonged period of unusual cold and drought. The societal response was the disintegration of the Pax Chaco and a bloody free-for-all in competition for fewer arable acres. Small villages had too few warriors to defend them and were abandoned. Many show evidence of a violent end.

To survive in such an age, it was necessary to gather into large villages that could close out or fight off marauders. With less rain and more frosts, many Anasazi were killed by others wanting their land or their stored food. Others starved. Evidence for violence and warfare is common in this age from 1275 to 1400. By the end of this age the Anasazi are living in four regional groupings occupying in large, fortresslike Pueblos. Groups of villages are linked by political and military alliances. The empty lands separate the four great clusters the Spanish called "Despoblados".

In his review of violence, cannibalism, and warfare, LeBlanc almost inadvertently answers one of the great questions in southwestern archaeology, why was the Colorado plateau largely abandoned by the Anasazi after 1300. His answer is that many did not leave, but rather died in situ from starvation and warfare. Others crowded into ever larger, distant settlements in search of the security of numbers.

I found this LeBlanc's arguments tightly reasoned and backed by a studious, often innovative, review of the archaeological record. The result is a believable reworking of the history of the Southwest. This book will be distasteful to many Native Americans, New Agers, and anthropologists who have invested careers in portraying the Anasazi as exempt from the evil and violence that characterize mankind in other times and places. LeBlanc, Turner, and Lekson are spearheading a radical transformation in how the educated public interprets the prehistory of the Southwest. The currently dominant "beau model" of peaceful farmers, directed by wise elders living in harmony and balance is another manifestation of the noble savage fantasy that has beguiled the West for centuries now.

History and archaeology have much to tell us about human nature and how to understand and resolve the problems confronting us as a species. For this information to be of any help to us in our current struggle, our perceptions of our past must be as accurate as possible. In my assessment, these three authors are bringing the experience of mankind in the Southwest into a focus that seems more realistic and human than what has previously been offered to the literate public.

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Deadly Landscapes: Case Studies in Prehistoric Southwestern Warfare

Manufacturer: University of Utah Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | State & Local | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest.(Review): An article from: American Antiquity
Sarah Schlanger
Manufacturer: Society for American Archaeology
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Mythology | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008HNCKU
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Antiquity, published by Society for American Archaeology on January 1, 2001. The length of the article is 1280 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest.(Review)
Author: Sarah Schlanger
Publication: American Antiquity (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2001
Publisher: Society for American Archaeology
Volume: 66 Issue: 1 Page: 175

Article Type: Book Review

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Book Description

This second volume of the popular Pocketguide to Nova Scotia Birds features seashore and water birds commonly found on Nova Scotia's coastal and inland waterways.

The Pocketguide helps identify small birds found along the beach, gulls and ducks swimming offshore, and unusual marsh birds. It outlines their names, identifying features, calls, and the times of year when they are most likely to be seen in Nova Scotia.

The book features full-colour illustrations, an observation calendar, and keys to identifying characteristics of each bird--size, foot type, flight characteristics, feeding technique, and egg type, if breeding in Nova Scotia

The Pocketguide to Nova Scotia Birds is a handy reference for beginners and practised birders, and includes 25 suggested locations around the province where good birdwatching is assured.

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