RESEARCH PROMPT

INDESCRIBABLE POWER OF COLOR, SPATIAL ATMOSPHERE OF THE TEMPLETE.

AUTHOR: YAIMI LIZZ CARTAGENA SANTIAGO
(UN)CANONICAL, HISTORIES- REFLECTIONS, SIMULATIONS & SIMULACRA IN LATIN
AMERICA’S ARCHITECTURE

Abstract:
This research makes the argument of a historical monument of Cuba that has disseminated different
ideologies according to the symbolism it represents since the 19th century, The Templete. Monument
enriched in architecture and one of the symbols with greater representation of Havana, currently visited for
its renowned neoclassical façade and its mythological interior. The designer's objective is to understand the
relationship of the past and the present through the integration of value into the interior of the building,
without losing importance to the exterior. The theme deepens color and light in relation to the artistic world
of painting and its importance of how reality is observed versus painting simulating realism. It is intended
to assess how much culture and politics have influenced the Cuban debate on the aesthetics of the interior
and implementation of the works, the color it has and its meaning according to the illusion that impacts the
human being.
Memory of the Cuban Symbolism

Throughout Cuban history, historical monuments have been considered as a postulate of symbolic

principles of the cultural power of colonialism. One of the symbols of great Cuban wealth that has

transcended the revolution since the 19th century is the monument of El Templete. Monument erected in

1828 for the commemoration of the city of Havana in the country of Cuba, designed by the Cuban architect

Antonio Maria De la Torre. This symbolizes the aesthetic traditions of architecture, painting, and sculpture,

the templete represent the academic aesthetics of a heterogeneous colonial city and giving value to

monumental art in the late-colonial classicist movement in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the

complexity and purity of the building embedded in Plaza de Armas has encouraged countless interpretations

and ideologies of colonial, aesthetic, and traditional discourses. The books “El Templete and Cuban

Neoclassicism- A Multivalent Signifier as Site of Memory”, “Color and Light” and “Psychology of Color”

provide understanding beyond the historical and cultural background of the monument; the value of interior

design. It raises the symbolic principles of the interior of El Templete and how down to the smallest detail

constitutes an ideology integrated into El Templete.

“The Templete and Cuban Neoclassicism- A Multivalent Signifier as Site of Memory” by author

Paul Niell argues essential information about the symbolic beginning in Cuban roots and how through

neoclassical architecture they postulate Cuban origin. The background story of the monument begins with

the date of November 16, on that day every year a multitude of people gather to honor a symbolic tree of

the place since it was in that place where the Spanish conquistadors founded the city in the 16th century,

holding the first Christian mass and the town council under the shade of that tree. This tree is the Ceiba,

located in the east of the Plaza de Armas, possibly the fourth tree in that place, the author emphasizes to us,

which is circled 3 times counterclockwise to declare luck in the life of the people who visit it. Consisted of

a small Tuscan Doric temple located on the same axis where the Pilar Cagigal was situated. It was embedded

in a rectangular wall of coral limestone, forming a square enclosure around the Templete, the column and

the tree. The idea of the Cuban engineer Antonio Maria De la Torre of integrate design, El Templete stands
out for the idea of integrating three paintings inside it (Figure1). Not only are they simply colorful paintings

that give harmonious life to the place, but there is also a powerful story in each of the paintings. Executed

by French expatriate artist Jean-Baptiste Vermay, they narrate the history of the site and include scenes of

the first mass, the first Cabildo and one of the inaugural ceremonies of the sanctuary itself in 1828. When

passing through one of the three great doors of the Templete, it can be seen that it was designed to house

visual representations of the events to which the column of the ceiba tree and its inscriptions referred. Jean-

Baptiste Vermay, a student of Jacques-Louis David, the dean of all history painters, had fled Europe with

the overthrow of Napoleon, coming first to the United States and finally to Havana, where he founded the

art academy that would become Cuba’s National School of Fine Arts. Vermay’s depiction of the first

cabildo filled the left-hand wall of the temple interior, and his painting of the first Mass faced it on the right.

The three scenes are united by more than artist or setting, the meaning during that time shows the integrated

value. Truncated, but central in each of the paintings, the solid ceiba appears: the trunk of the tree alive and

significant every November 16.

Figure 1. Interior of The Templete, Havana Cuba ,2019. (Image Rolando Pujo)
History behind a Painting

“El Templete and Cuban Neoclassicism: A Multivalent Signifier as Site of Memory” argues that

Jean Baptiste Vermay was a well-known European in Cuban lands for his indelible traces that he has

captured in his course as an artist. His proven performance and the passages of his life, even those linked

to national history, are currently presented in a controversial way for Cuban researchers and teachers. Apart

from its bibliographic production generated in Cuba, the importance of its purpose in the same way refers

to the illustrious French intellectual. In addition to his distinguished paintings such as the pieces of the

Church of Health and the Church of San Nicolas, Vermay is known for his historical painting which

received the most remarkable praise, especially for that one because it can still be seen in the Templete.

“When Governor Vives wanted to perpetuate the memory of the first mass celebrated in Cuba, Vermay

made his three notorious decorations of incalculable historical value.” In chronological order, the journey

to the paintings appears as the first The First Mass of Cuba in 1826. Highlighting the memory that Cuba at

this time was not a Republic but was still part of the Spanish Empire. In fact, Cuba is one of the last Spanish

colonial enclaves in the American and Caribbean regions. On a larger scale, the painter represents the first

mass sung by bishop Espada, in commemoration under the Ceiba, in the same place where Father the

Houses was. The work prostrated in that rich historical monument contains a hundred natural portraits of

the most illustrious people of the time. Bishop Espada, Captain General Vives, the counts of Fernandina,

Cañongo, OʼReilly, Jaruco and Prado Ameno; Messrs. Arango and Parreño, OʼFarrill, OʼGaban, Montalvo,

La Torre and Cárdenas, the City Council in corporation and Jean Baptiste Vermay himself with the pencil

in his hand making the sketch of Ramón de la Sagra who was never his good friend. On the left there is a

group of ladies among whom are those of O’Farrill, Montalvo, Cárdenas and Mme. Vermay. The painter’s

ideology reflects his teaching effort, his training and his personality; synthesis of the fusion between his

desires and the interests of Creole and peninsular landowners through stories embodied in a painting. In

addition to the first mass, the paintings of The First Cabildo and the Inauguration of the Templete refer to

three events that took place in the same space and the building that contains them is a commemorative
monument of the same events. The relationship between religious power and political power is present and

a relationship of them for the construction of a Cuban memory. Both religion through the first mass, politics

with the first council and its fusion in the inauguration of the temple were conceived with the aim of

primordial and founding moments in the history of Cuba. Deep observation denotes the occupation of the

Ceiba in a privileged space and marks the division between the background, the mountainous, natural,

virgin landscape and in front a sacred space, the blessing of the island and the starting point of a civilization

guided by religion (Figure 2). Therefore, the book “El Templete and Cuban Neoclassicism: A Multivalent

Signifier as Site of Memory” asserts the fact that El Templete continues to have a prominent place in Cuba

indicates that the discourse it contains inside is still valid and there is an interest in maintaining it.

Figure 2. Preserved oil painting of The Town Council under the shade of the Ceiba and The Inauguration

of The Templete. (Image Discover Cuba)

Colors: Spatial Manipulation

The book “Color and Light” aims to examine the paintings through two main foundations: color

and light. The complexity of the understanding of colors is remarkable when heading into the artistic world

and how thought is embodied in a piece of material. The questions are present once the colors and the

realism that is observed around us are distinguished. The sky, trees and water are a good example that they

are not simply composed of a mixture of adjacent colors, but when they are noticed they vary in gradient

tones and colors to show a realistic visual perception. It is said that all artists, including Jean Baptiste

Vermay and Leonardo da Vinci, begin by learning to mix basic colors, studying color and trying to create

an illusion of realism. According to the author of the book, light and color were highly appreciated by the

ancient masters, but these artists did not have hundreds of pigments at their disposal, so they used a minimal

amount of pigments unlike the artistic news. Traditional ancient paintings are a good example of inspiration

for every artist, a finding beyond the meaning and purpose of the work, there is a meaning of color. The

author mentions that 19th-century teachers such as William Adolphe Bouguereau and Jean Leon Gerome

carried out their works through the use of three innovations: the science of perception, new pigments,

outdoor practices. For example, in the science of perception, chemistry professor Michel Eugene Chevreul

studies the perception of colors demonstrating that they can only be understood by comparing them with

each other. However, the scientist Hermann von Helmholtz defends the argument that colors are not

perceived directly, but that it is the retina that experiences the sensations of colors. These ideologies refer

to the conclusion that color dissociates from the surface and emphasizes the effect of lighting, the

surrounding colors and atmosphere. In addition, the issue of the separation between light and shadow is

emphasized, a particular theme that of the importance of the light introduced in the works. The English

physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton took a decisive step in the history of color and established a

principle accepted to this day: light is color. In 1665 Newton was the one who discovered that sunlight,

when passing through a prism, is divided into several colors. He discovered the decomposition of light in

the colors of the chromatic spectrum. These colors are violet blue, sky blue, green, yellow, orange red and
purple red. Therefore, the German writer Johann Goethe studied and tested the psychological and

physiological modifications that human being’s impact on exposure to different colors and their way of

reacting to them. For example, according to color psychology, meaning and its value varies from culture

to culture regardless of each circumstance. Undoubtedly, the environment and its color shown emerges in

different expressions that in turn has a transmission of sensations of joy, calm, fullness, faith, violence, evil,

among other feelings. In relation to the building of El Templete that is elevated on a perimeter stand of

three stone steps of Jaimanitas, in turn reflects the pure color of the material. Later the ashes of the painter

Jean Baptiste Vermay and his wife, who died on the island, were deposited in an urn inside the monument

next to the bust of the artist. The interior floors of black and white marble as a checkerboard. A great

example from the book "Color and Light", argues that the illusion of the chessboard can be appreciated

factors that are commonly taken into account such as light and shadow without the understanding that the

shape deceives the sight of the human being. That is, the human brain uses contextual clues to override the

information that is transmitted through sight. This is clarifying (Figure 3.) that the light-colored square

piece that is located in the shadow (2) is the same color as the dark square piece (1) that is illuminated.

Interesting fact on the floor of the Temple when integrating the pieces of earthenware with chessboard

aesthetics is that it creates a sense of contrast and play with vision provides a cozy sense to the small scale

that the building has. It is perceptible the objective of Antonio Maria de la Torre, to focus primarily on

works of great importance for Cuban history, that is why, the three oil paintings that cover the walls, contain

colors of dark tones among other light and pure colors. Regarding the subject of color, there are countless

colors that the book "Psychology of color", by the author Eva Heller, explore the relationship between

colors and feelings which demonstrate their intentional combination, universal experiences that are deeply

rooted in human’s language and thinking. According to studies, blue is the color of sympathy and harmony,

the red of love of hate-of kings and communism, the yellow of optimism and gold, the green of hope and

sacred, the black of power and violence, the white of good and spirit; white the color of great importance

to every artist, designer and architect. However, each color can produce different sensations and effects in

a contradictory way regardless of each occasion; Red can be erotic or brutal, untimely or noble such as Jean
Leon French's painting, an expression of an eminent person of great intelligence, who stands out from the

rest; determination decisions from the dark (Figure 4). Evan Heller mentions that there is a basic rule of the

psychology of perception: "we only see what we know." Therefore, the determination in a certain security

of the symbolic purpose according to the colors of the interior of El Templete, depends on the knowledge,

feeling and impact of each human being.

Figure 3. Checkerboard Illusion, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (2015).

Figure 4. Jean Leon French, 1824-1904. L’Eminence Grise (The Gray Eminence), 1873, Oil on Canvas.
The Interior design matters?

In conclusion, from an architectural point of view, the complexity and purity of the building

embedded in Plaza de Armas has encouraged countless interpretations and ideologies of colonial, aesthetic

and traditional discourses. The books “El Templete and Cuban Neoclassicism- A Multivalent Signifier as

Site of Memory”, “Color and Light” and “Psychology of Color” provide understanding beyond the

historical and cultural background of the monument, the value of interior design. In the world of

contemporary architecture, Luis Barragán uses the interior as a main source of art and inspiration, the

implementation of colors and light through symbolism such as Antonio Maria De La Torre realized on the

Templete. Absolutely all colors have a meaning although sometimes it does not seem so. However, interior

design can have a significant impact on people’s perception and determine the sense of arrival and place

where the person decides whether to return or once is more than enough. The Templete, a treasure of

colonial architecture, which every November 16 is visited by lots of people to commemorate the true

symbolism. It transcends the imprint of time because it is the place that shares different ideologies, both

external and internal.

Book:
NIELL, PAUL. “El Templete and Cuban Neoclassicism: A Multivalent Signifier as Site of Memory.”
Bulletin of Latin American Research 30, no. 3 (2011): 344–65. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41238224.
Gurney, James. “Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter.” Internet Archive. Dinotopia. Accessed
November 28, 2022. https://archive.org/details/Color_and_Light_James_Gurney_English/mode/2up
Heller, Eva. “Psicología del color: Cómo actúan los colores sobre los sentimientos y la razón.” Munich:
Droemer Knaur, 2008.
Romay Guerra, Zuleica. “Tell Me about Colors. Culture and Politics in the Cuban Race Debate.” CILHA,
September 12, 2015.