Shared thoughts. Aldo van Eyck, the COBRA group, and art

Abstract

RESUMEN El periodo inmediatamente posterior a la II Guerra Mundial es uno de los episodios mas interesantes desde el punto de vista cultural del siglo XX, un momento vivido por muchos de los intelectuales europeos coetaneos a esta epoca como un punto de inflexion, una oportunidad para repensar el mundo, para comenzar de nuevo tras el cataclismo belico. En ese contexto comienza su andadura como arquitecto Aldo van Eyck, asi como su colaboracion con el breve, pero intenso, movimiento Cobra, grupo esencial para comprender el panorama cultural europeo de posguerra y una de las ultimas vanguardias del siglo XX. Este articulo explora la vinculacion del arquitecto holandes Aldo van Eyck con el mundo del arte. Una relacion poliedrica, parte esencial de su discurso, que engloba su formacion cultural, sus relaciones de amistad, su pensamiento critico y su obra. En esa correlacion entre la arquitectura y las artes sera determinante la vinculacion del arquitecto con Cobra, con el que compartira una mirada comun sobre la realidad, una relacion compleja con lineas de investigacion comunes, escritos, exposiciones y trabajos compartidos. A todo ello se suma la aportacion fundamental que supone un trasvase de valores constantes entre la arquitectura y el mundo del arte, que caracterizo la relacion entre el arquitecto y los miembros del grupo. SUMMARY The period immediately subsequent to the Second World War is one of the most interesting episodes of the 20th century from the cultural point of view. It was a time of reflection for many contemporary European intellectuals, an opportunity to rethink the world, to begin again after the cataclysm of war. It was in this context that Aldo van Eyck began his career as an architect, as well as his collaboration with the short-lived, but intense, Cobra Movement, a group essential for understanding the post-war European cultural panorama and one of the last avant-gardes of the 20th century. This article explores the involvement of the Dutch architect, Aldo van Eyck, with the world of art. A multi-faceted relationship, an essential part of his discourse, which encompasses his cultural formation, his friendships, his critical thought, and his work. The involvement of the architect with Cobra would be a determinant in that correlation between architecture and the arts. It was a group with which he would share a common view of reality, a complex relationship with common lines of research, shared writings, exhibitions and works. To this is added the fundamental contribution of the transfer of constant values between architecture and the world of art, which characterised the relationship between the architect and the members of the group.