Carlo Scarpa

Carlo Scarpa is without any doubt one of the more famous architects within the architectural community. Known so well for his attention to detail, his careful choice of material, his treatment of color, his attitude towards the different elements among which most importantly water, this architect could not be left out. We thus headed to visit some of his works among which most notably the Castelvecchio museum and of course the Brion tomb itself. After having finally reached the Castelvecchio while we were trying to escape the rain under which we were attempting to see at least a part of Verona’s history, we were left to explore the complex by ourselves while outside the sun was starting to shine. A short introduction has been made, but none was necessary as Carlo Scarpa usually really does speak for himself. Having fallen in love with this architect’s work very early on, it was more than exciting to finally see it up close, in person. The way he lifts up the statues and the different artifacts, the way he shows paintings, and the many ways he isolates certain points of view and reveals them to the visitor was priceless to see in person.  The next project by Scarpa that I would personally like to highlight is the Brion tomb. The attention to detail, the different systems of openings, the channeling and controlling of water, the incredible diversity of materials used and its use are in short impossible to capture in a comprehensive manner. They must be experienced and I could not stop. After the first few glimpses I have put everything away because I  understood that there is no reason in trying to capture it. The light channeled down a skylight, the water trickling down and filling the silence with sound, the horizon of the surrounding. Perhaps the most important aspect of his work from my point of view is the fact that he admits for instance that there is a string lifting up the gate and makes it beautiful by making the system an abstract sculpture, he is true to the structure and shows it in an entertaining manner that not only makes you understand it in more depth but also appreciate it so much more. I will revisit.

(all photos credit to Ihwa Choi)