(CRITICAL REVIEW MANUSCRIPT)

INDESCRIBABLE POWER OF COLOR, SPATIAL ATMOSPHERE OF THE TEMPLETE.

AUTHORS: YAIMI LIZZ CARTAGENA SANTIAGO

(UN)CANONICAL HISTORIES- REFLECTIONS, SIMULATIONS & SIMULACRA IN LATIN

AMERICA’S ARCHITECTURE

Abstract | Argument:
This research makes the argument that the historical monument of Cuba has disseminated different
ideologies according to the symbolism it represents since the 19th century, “El 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 objective of the design 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 simulating painting realism. It is intended
to assess how much culture and politics 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. 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.
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MICRO-DISCOURSE: INDESCRIBABLE POWER OF
COLOR, SPATIAL ATMOSPHERE OF THE TEMPLETE

Yaimi Lizz Cartagena Santiago

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 (Figure 1).

“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 16.1
Figure 1: Interior of The Templete, Havana Cuba ,2019. (Image Rolando Pujo)

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

(Image Discover Cuba)

 “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. 1
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.6 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.1

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. 2
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.4 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.3 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.2 Interesting fact on the floor of El
Templete 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.3
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.
 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. The
articles “Tell me about Colors Culture and Politics in the Cuban Race
Debate”and “Color Theory and the Perception of Art” facilitate the
understanding of the principle, function, and history of the surrounding
colors. 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. “A Poetics of Space” adds the concepts of
beauty, inspiration, amazement, and intimacy as concepts that
complement the ideology behind Luis Barragan’s work. Absolutely all
colors have a meaning although sometimes it does not seem so. The
application and integrity of color in a space adheres to the harmony
sought.8 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.5 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.

Notes

1. 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.
2. 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
3. Heller, Eva. “Psicología del color: Cómo actúan los colores sobre los sentimientos y la razón.”
Munich: Droemer Knaur, 2008.
4. Romay Guerra, Zuleica. “Tell Me about Colors. Culture and Politics in the Cuban Race Debate.”
CILHA, September 12, 2015.
5. Brownlee, Peter John. “Color Theory and the Perception of Art.” American Art 23, no. 2
(2009): 21–24. https://doi.org/10.1086/605706.
6. Torres-Santiago, Jerry. Caribbean Studies 47, no. 2 (2019): 190–95.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/45380297.
7. Barteet, C. Cody, and Paul Niell. Winterthur Portfolio 50, no. 2/3 (2016): 196–97.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26477974.
8. Lacy, Alberto Ruy-Sánchez, Roberto Tejada, Luis Barragán, Susan Briante, Octavio Paz, Juan
Palomar, Carole Castelli, et al. “[In the World of Luis Barragán].” Artes de México, no. 23 (1994):
88–112. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24327064.