A week ago (ethan allen's sombrero), I told you I had gone shopping for furniture when we stopped in Tlaquepaque. I was attempting to put some parameters around the type of furbiture I wanted to complement my house.
I have two major guidelines. The first is simple. The house is designed in the flat planes of a Barragán-inspired home.
I am looking for something that would make Barragán smile. Solitude. Density. Physical and aesthetic quality. Simplicity. Color. Uniqueness. Scale. Solar dynamic. Spaces built with a subtle metaphor immersed around the meaning of life.
The second is just as simple. I want the furniture to reflect the abstract expressionism of the Ed Gilliam paintings that currentlty decorate each room of the house.
Flat planes inducing contemplation. Reflective. Cerebral. Intimate.
You can see how the two lists complement and echo one another. That is what I am looking for in furniture.
The last two times I have attended the night of the dead in Pátzcuaro, the local artisans and craftsmen were holding a competition to winnow out the masters in each craft form.
Pottery. Clay figures. Copper goods. Masks. Furniture. There were stunning examples of each. I was nearly seduced into buying two copper vases. It is odd how some traditional art forms can take on a modern look. Donatello's almost gothic Mary Magdalene is a perfect example. She could easily find a home amongst Picasso sculptures.
In addition to the copper pots, the dining room table at the top of this piece caught my eye.
It is massive in its effect with its thick wood and decorative stone. But it is simultaneously ethereal as a result of the glass insert on top. The glass gives the impression that the rocks have no more mass than the surrounding air. Magritte would be proud.
The chairs do not share the same lightness of being. They are the seats of dwarves, not elves. Firmly grounded upon the surface of the Earth. Each being unique from its neighbors.
Even the distressed wood with its harlequin paint job works to pull the piece together. I suspect Barragán would approve.
Most of the art pieces sold at the show go for a premium. After all, they are made by the best of the best.
But the table was quite reasonably priced. $24,400 (Mx). At the current exchange rate, that is about $1,204 (US). I didn't see a price for the chairs -- each being unique from its neighbor.
Because you are an intelligent group of readers, you already know I did not buy it. Shipping is not really a problem. There is always a willing truck driver to deliver such things in Mexico. But the timing was not right.
I will be squiring my brother and sister-in-law around Michoacán in January. If the table is still there (or if we can determine where it has gone), I will get their impressions. (Right now, they are headed to the Baja 500 to enjoy speed and noise.)And I need to get the house ready to receive them. Without any new furniture. Yet.
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