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jeto para traducirlo a un nuevo len-guaje. As es el dibujo de nuestra vi-sin arquitectnica, donde la lneasiempre es una abstraccin, suponeque hay algo donde nicamente exis-ten masas, atmsferas y manchas; im-pone lmites a las formas naturales di-fusas, a la vez que traza fronterasdonde no existen, gracias al carcter

radical de su trazo, que compartimen-ta y divide la superficie del dibujo.Parece una contradiccin comenzar

una reflexin sobre el dibujo a lneacon una cita que directamente exhor-ta a no delimitar con trazos las formasde los objetos. Pero, en realidad, laexactitud de las palabras de Leonardonos permite dos reflexiones importan-tes para encuadrar el tema que nosocupa. La primera es que en el claros-curo, en la suave degradacin de lostonos, en el sfumato que tanto preo-

cupa a nuestro artista debemos evitarla lnea como algo ajeno a la realidad.La segunda, de la que nos ocuparemosms adelante, es mi propia conviccinde que en nuestros dibujos los arqui-tectos debemos evitar basarnos nica-mente en los contornos, ya que el di-bujo a lnea no es nicamente untrazado de perfiles, sino algo muchoms intenso y complejo que necesitagrandes dosis de anlisis de la realidad,de comprensin del motivo y, final-mente, de reflexin para su traduccinen un grafismo de fcil lectura a fin dealcanzar una representacin absoluta-mente sinttica.

Respecto a la primera afirmacin,es evidente que en las academias don-de se forman los futuros pintores unamxima se repite incesante a los alum-nos, casi tomando las palabras de Leo-nardo: la lnea no existe en la natura-

En esta cita de su tratado de la pin-

tura Leonardo muestra un conceptopictrico basado en la superficie, enlas propias masas frente a los valo-res lineales. En el texto el artista insis-te en la invisibilidad de la lnea en lanaturaleza, conclusin a la que llegacomo resultado del empirismo que locaracteriza, observando que las lne-as con las que delimitamos las formasde los objetos en los dibujos no se pre-sentan realmente a nuestra visin, si-no que son una apariencia del final delas formas, all donde alcanzan el con-

torno. As pues, si queremos imitar larealidad no debemos contornear loscuerpos con lneas, pues stas no exis-ten como tales, presentan un espesorinvisible en palabras de Leonardo,son una abstraccin, un esquema men-tal que proyecta el dibujante sobre losobjetos que le rodean para su correc-ta representacin.

Estas afirmaciones, que niegan laexistencia de la lnea en la visin, pa-radjicamente parecen tambin afir-mar la importancia del dibujo a lnea,confirindole un carcter de rigor, yaque utiliza un lenguaje propio basa-do en la reduccin del modelo a va-lores estrictamente geomtricos. Di-bujar a lnea significa siempre unainvencin de cdigos de representa-cin capaces de evocar la realidad demodo unvoco; necesariamente impli-ca un anlisis y una sntesis del ob-

36 EL DIBUJO A LNEA Y LA ARQUITECTURA.UN IDILIO INTERMINABLEJuan Manuel Bez Mezquita

A propsito de las pinturas de la

galera de Dresde: Todas muybien; si los dibujos no estuvieranllenos de color... no puedo des-prenderme de la idea de que esoscolores no me cuentan la verdad...el puro contorno me dara unaimagen mucho ms fidedigna.

Schiller 1

CONCEPTUS

Los contornos de los cuerpos son

inaprensibles (...) El contorno late-ral es el trmino de la superficie,lnea de un espesor invisible; t,pues, pintor, no contornees loscuerpos con lneas

Leonardo da Vinci 2

1/ Citado en PEVSNER, N., Las Academias de Arte, EdicionesCtedra, Madrid 1982, p. 106.

2/ LEONARDO DA VINCI, Tratado de la Pintura, Edicin deEspasa-Calpe S. A., Madrid 1964, p. 77.


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leza, no podemos realizar dibujos decontorno para despus colorearlos orellenarlos de grises, aunque esto sealo que ha hecho la pintura en ampliosperodos de la historia y en muchostratados se insista en esa idea 3. Se-gn este criterio pictrico debemosver masas en la naturaleza, aprendera darles forma mediante manchas has-

ta alcanzar el acabado deseado, des-arrollando la difcil y extraordinariahabilidad de conseguir que evoquenla realidad al dotarlas de una deter-minada forma y color.

Esta conviccin hace que el tradi-cional dibujo de mancha desarrollecualidades muy adecuadas en la pin-tura naturalista, convirtindose en unade las disciplinas ms caractersticasde la formacin pictrica clsica. Estemodo de ver la realidad por extensinalcanza a otras disciplinas como la ar-quitectnica, a la que aporta una vi-sin amplia del motivo muy atenta alconjunto, tambin al claroscuro; en laque los detalles aparecen, pero siem-pre supeditados a una entidad mayorcomo es la posicin en la que se en-cuentran en el espacio, donde estncondicionados por los gradientes deluminosidad y distancia al observador.El dibujo de mancha aporta un mo-do de ver la realidad absolutamenteimprescindible para el arquitecto, enel que se privilegia la luz y el espacio,entidades eminentemente arquitect-nicas. A pesar de ello, existe un lugarcomn en las Escuelas de Arquitectu-ra, segn el cual el dibujo del arquitec-to debe expresarse con la lnea; si bienesta idea parece haber ido perdiendofuerza con los aos, o, al menos, dilu-yendo su importancia. En muchas oca-siones no se sabe muy bien lo que se

quiere expresar con ella y cules sonlas condiciones que debe cumplir el di-bujo a lnea, pues falta una reflexinintensa sobre las exigencias y el len-guaje de este modo de representacin.

La aparente contradiccin entre laprctica de la mancha, materializadacon el carboncillo frente a los mode-los de estatua, y la defensa de la lnea

se ha mantenido en nuestras Escuelas,pero con el desequilibrio que ha pro-vocado el paulatino abandono de laprimera. Tal desequilibrio descompen-sa la formacin de los futuros arqui-tectos, pues la mancha y la lnea pue-den entenderse como extremos de unamisma balanza, como las coordenadasen las que debe moverse toda repre-sentacin, pues en nuestros dibujos nosacercamos a una u otra o nos mante-nemos en la pureza de cada una deellas, pero siempre debemos ser cons-cientes del otro extremo posible. Sonlos dos modos puros en los que debe-mos mirarnos, imprescindibles y com-plementarios; cada uno necesita de lapresencia del otro, como espejo que re-fleje la radicalidad de nuestro plante-amiento, pues al trabajar la mancha lalnea es invisible, mientras que con lalnea la mancha no existe.

Las capacidades desarrolladas porla mancha son necesarias, independien-temente del modo en que nos exprese-mos, revelndose imprescindibles cuan-do nos movemos en el modo opuesto,en el de la lnea, que exige la defini-cin exacta y la representacin ajusta-da de las diversas partes, adems de lacomprensin del volumen y de su po-sicin en el espacio. Parece que parautilizar un lenguaje con el mximo deexpresividad debemos conocer y pen-sar en su opuesto, trabajar con radica-

lidad supone que al utilizar la lneapensamos en la mancha evitando todolo que la caracteriza, y a la inversa,la mancha excluye la lnea. Pensar enla expresin contraria agudiza nuestromodo de proceder. De la oposicin in-telectual de contrarios surge nuestraobra, ya que al trabajar logramos lapresencia de las dos, lnea y mancha,

y en nuestra mente nacen criterios cla-ros para utilizar un medio u otro.Parece evidente que el dibujo a lnea

presenta un grado de abstraccin ma-yor que otros medios de expresin; sunaturaleza esencial, mnima, est obli-gada a contar la realidad y hacerlacomprensible utilizando para ello elmenor nmero posible de elementos,consiguiendo que la lectura sea facti-ble y clara. Debemos envolver las for-mas con trazos que definan su confi-guracin, caractersticas y posicin enel espacio, inventando cdigos de re-presentacin para cada material y ca-da situacin; como, por ejemplo, losmuros de piedra con sus diversas va-riedades, los revocos, el ladrillo, las te-jas de la cubierta, las pizarras, las car-pinteras, la vegetacin, etc., siemprecon variaciones segn la distancia a laque se encuentran del observador.

La segunda conclusin que pode-mos enunciar a partir de las palabrasde Leonardo nos conduce a lo que po-demos denominar la falacia del con-torno. Es decir, un dibujo a lnea notiene por qu contentarse con seguirlas siluetas, los bordes del modelo pa-ra alcanzar una expresin final, si bienen algunas ocasiones ste ser el pro-cedimiento empleado. El dibujo a l-nea de carcter arquitectnico es mu-cho ms, necesariamente debe aspirara otra forma de ver la realidad, a una

3/ En algunos tratados de dibujo aparece la recomendacin deempezar dibujando el contorno de las figuras, para de fuera hacia

dentro rellenar el conjunto. As, Antonio Palomino a principios del

siglo XVIII en El Museo Pictrico y Escala ptica II. Prctica de laPintura, reeditado en Madrid en 1988 por Aguilar Maior, en lapgina 69 expresa: Los contornos son la delineacin exterior, quecircunda la figura; los dintornos son los que delinean las articula-ciones, senos y plegaduras, que se contienen dentro del cuerpo.

Jusepe Martnez contina: Es opinin de los maestros no permitira sus discpulos hagan sombras hasta que se vea bien enteradosde los contornos, citado en VEGA, J., Los inicios del artista. El di-bujo base de las Artes, en REAL ACADEMIA DE BELLAS ARTES DE

SAN FERNANDO, La formacin del artista. De Leonardo a Picas-so. Aproximacin al estudio de la enseanza y el aprendizaje de lasBellas Artes, Madrid 1989, p. 3.

An podemos recordar a Cennino Cennini en su Tratado de la Pintu-ra (El Libro del Arte), reeditado en Barcelona 1968, Sucesor de E.Meseguer Editor, cuando en sus pginas 29 y 34 recomienda: Y pa-

ra tomar bien los contornos, ya de otro papel, ya de una tabla, o

del muro, como si de all lo arrancaras, pon ese papel traslucido so-

bre la figura o el dibujo (...) y despus, cuando veas que est casi

bien, toma el lpiz de plata y ve repasando los contornos y trazos de

tu dibujo y sus pliegues principales.


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para la representacin y sobre la formaen que cada volumen, cada particulardebe ser trascrito para su correcta com-prensin. En suma, es un dibujo que vams all de la simple apariencia del con-torno, para buscar la esencia a travsdel anlisis de la forma, creando im-genes paralelas a la realidad, que logranevocar el mundo que representan.

Al renunciar al color y al claroscu-ro, el dibujo se ve empujado a buscarcdigos expresivos que mantenganla comunicacin entre la realidad y larepresentacin, y que eviten que sepierda la informacin que nos permi-te comprender la esencia del objeto re-presentado. Este modo de procederconfiere a la lnea un carcter atempo-ral, situndola por encima de la pro-pia visin; no atiende a plasmar facto-res locales o de instantaneidad comola incidencia de la luz sobre los obje-tos en unas determinadas condiciones;busca la esencia de las formas, la defi-nicin de la propia corporeidad geo-mtrica a la vez que muestra el carc-ter permanente de la arquitectura.

anecdtico, que en modo alguno con-diciona el mtodo de trabajo.

El dibujo del contorno en ocasionesse realiza como base dimensional para,sobre l, depositar el color o los mati-ces de sombra, lo que nos demuestraque no es un fin en s mismo como mo-do de representacin, sino uno de losmtodos de trabajo usados por los ar-tistas para iniciar la aproximacin ala forma. Por el contrario, el dibujo alnea es un medio independiente, que sediferencia del claroscuro o de la repre-sentacin cromtica por su misma de-nominacin. Este proceder le exige lacapacidad de expresar toda la comple-jidad del mundo real a travs de una re-duccin a elementos muy simples, pe-ro manteniendo toda su potenciaexpresiva. En l, el trazo va siguiendola forma de cada uno de los volmenesen que se descompone el todo, con unareflexin sobre su perfecta representa-cin y codificacin. La lnea surge co-mo resultado de un proceso mental in-tenso, en el que el autor debe decidirsobre los cdigos grficos necesarios

visin apoyada en la comprensin delmodelo, en la visin de los volmenes,en la articulacin de las partes. Un mo-do de dibujar analtico, constructivo,en el que el contorno no es prioritario,sino una consecuencia de la estructu-ra interior, ya que no est en la basede la generacin de las formas, sinoque es resultado de la apariencia de c-mo stas se muestran.

El dibujo de contornos, tal como po-demos entenderlo en algunos ejemploshistricos, se genera del exterior al in-terior, de la forma general a los ele-mentos particulares. Sin embargo, eldibujo que nosotros defendemos co-mo propio del arquitecto, el dibujo alnea, no debe obrar as. Surge del in-terior al exterior a travs de la defini-cin de las formas constituyentes y suarticulacin, apoyndose en la geome-tra y en las leyes internas del objeto,hasta obtener la imagen aparente, quepresentar un perfil o contorno cir-cunstancial, que no habr influido enel anlisis realizado al modelo. El con-torno surge como un accidente visual,

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1. Juan M. Bez. Zamora, 1994, 70 x 200 cm.


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InstrumentaPara la ejecucin del dibujo a lnea

son muy pocos los utensilios que ne-cesitamos. Es suficiente cualquier ele-mento que a su paso por el papel pro-duzca un rasguo. Tradicionalmenteel instrumento ms utilizado es la plu-ma por la calidad y definicin de sutrazo, si bien, en la actualidad, los ro-

tuladores son una muy buena alterna-tiva por su fluidez y facilidad de uso;a ellos hay que aadir el lpiz, instru-mento universal de dibujo, verstil yadaptable a cualquier situacin.

Dentro de las plumas, la de palille-ro es la que ofrece un trazo mejor. Elhumilde plumn, que cada poco debe-mos cargar en el tintero dada su po-ca autonoma de trazo, que podemoscomprar por apenas unos cntimos,nos ofrece un trazo de una gran belle-za, infinitamente mejor que las ms so-

fisticadas plumas estilogrficas, que losuperan en precio unos cientos de ve-ces. Existen plumas de diversos groso-res, finas y flexibles si son propiamen-te de dibujo, o ms regulares y fuertescomo las utilizadas tradicionalmenteen la escritura. Adems, segn sea lapresin variable ejercida con la manoal dibujar, aumenta o disminuye la an-chura del trazo. La plumilla es la he-redera natural de la pluma de ave uti-lizada en otras pocas, si bien con untrazo ligeramente ms duro y no tan

dctil. En un mismo dibujo podemosutilizar al menos dos distintas, una msgruesa para los primeros planos y otra,ms fina, para los fondos, lo que nosayuda a mostrar la profundidad del es-pacio en los diversos planos, con unnivel de detalle aceptable en las partesms alejadas (Fig. 1, 2 y 3).

2. Juan M. Bez. Detalle de figura 1.3. Juan M. Bez. Detalle de figura 1.


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nos hacen elegir este medio, cambian-do una ligera prdida de calidad poruna comodidad evidente. (Fig. 5, 6 y 7).

El lpiz siempre significa libertad.Frente a cualquier pluma ofrece unavelocidad de trazado y una comodidadsuperiores, con una ventaja adicionalque no debemos despreciar: con el l-

Normalmente se considera que el pa-pel satinado es el ms adecuado para eldibujo a pluma, pues en estas superfi-cies la calidad del trazo alcanza su m-ximo nivel con un grosor e intensidadadmirables (Fig. 4). Sin embargo, no ex-cluye la utilizacin de otras superficiesms rugosas, poco aptas para este me-dio, en las que el trazo se vuelve ms fi-

no e, incluso, con un aspecto roto, nosaturado, que recuerda al del bolgra-fo. Siempre que deseemos un dibujomuy intenso, con trazos donde la tin-ta se deposite generosamente, el papelsatinado ser nuestra mejor eleccin.Por el contrario, cuando queramos unmodo de proceder ms ligero, sin mu-cha carga de tinta que pueda emborro-nar algunos detalles, un papel con unapequea rugosidad nos ayudar a con-trolar mejor la definicin, permitiendola acumulacin de trazos prximos.

El dibujo con pluma estilogrficanunca mejorar los resultados de la plu-ma de palillero, pero, a cambio, gana-mos en velocidad, en comodidad en eltrazado, en una disponibilidad inme-diata en cualquier situacin, que nos li-bera de la presencia permanente del tin-tero; valores que tienen su relativaimportancia en muchas ocasiones y que

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piz el trazo puede presentar diversasintensidades, ser claro u oscuro, resul-tado de una variable presin en el pa-pel, incluso puede deslizarse rozandolevemente la superficie del dibujo sinapenas dejar huella. En consecuencia,los trazos presentan infinitas variacio-nes en su expresin, jerarquizados en

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5


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4. Juan M. Bez. Losilla de Alba (Zamora), 1986,29,7 x 84 cm.5. Juan M. Bez. Zamora, 1975, 50 x 65 cm.6. Juan M. Bez. Pino (Zamora), 1995, 25,5 x 73 cm.7. Juan M. Bez. Villanueva de los Corchos, 1995, 36,7x 75 cm.8. Juan M. Bez. Florencia, 1992, 36,5 x 135 cm.9. Juan M. Bez. Detalle de la figura 8.

intensidades segn el motivo que se de-sea captar y nuestro propio inters endestacar unos elementos u otros. Po-demos crear trazos ms intensos en losprimeros planos y ms leves en los le-janos, al mismo tiempo que marcamoslos contornos con nfasis, sin descui-dar el modelado interior de los vol-menes ni los elementos constructivos

que los componen (Fig. 8 y 9).Igual que con la pluma, la rugosidaddel soporte va a influir en la personali-dad del acabado, pero a la inversa quecon aquella; es decir, un papel muy sati-nado provocar un trazo ms fino y lim-pio (Fig. 10), mientras uno rugoso ha-r aumentar su intensidad e indefinicin.

La pluma es muy exigente en su de-finicin y expresin, o trazamos o no,sin situaciones intermedias; con ella nopodemos tantear, hacer pequeas mar-cas auxiliares de ayuda, pues el dibu-jo se emborronara perdiendo claridady definicin; en cambio, con el lpiz ses posible trazar suaves lneas, que nosayudan en el dimensionado, insinuan-do que dibujamos sin apenas dejar ras-tro, permitiendo que la mano se expre-se con mayor libertad. El lpiz permitetodas estas variaciones de trazo de ahsu versatilidad en la expresin.

En el trabajo de campo los apun-tes muy rpidos, necesariamente velo-ces, realizados en apenas unos minu-tos, de pie frente al motivo, sujetandoel cuaderno con la mano, en unas con-diciones de no demasiada comodidad,tienen su mejor expresin en el dibu-jo a lpiz. En mi propia prctica uti-lizo uno de color rojizo, que por sucomposicin es ms estable que el degrafito, pero suficientemente blandopara correr libremente sobre el papelplasmando los sutiles impulsos de la

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10. Juan M. Bez. Duas Igrejas, 1993, 29,7 x 42 cm.11. Juan M. Bez. Capri, 1999, 24 x 64 cm.12. Juan M. Bez. Herculano, 1999, 24 x 64 cm.13. Juan M. Bez. Siracusa, 1998, 32 x 24 cm.14. Juan M. Bez. Palermo, 1998, 24 x 32 cm.15. Juan M. Bez. Coimbra, 2000, 50 x 70 cm.16. Juan M. Bez. Zamora, 1993, 50 x 50 cm.

mano (Fig. 11, 12, 13 y 14). En estasocasiones la pluma es un poco ms len-ta, ms exigente, nos obliga a prestarun mnimo de atencin al instrumen-to que tenemos en la mano, pensar ensu posicin e inclinacin sobre el pa-pel para el correcto trazado, algo quecon el lpiz no ocurre.

El dibujo a lnea, por su propia na-

turaleza y su modo de representar abs-tracto, deja fuera aspectos como losefectos atmosfricos del cielo y el co-lor local de los objetos. Normalmenteson elementos de los que prescindimos,que no interesan, e incluso su ausenciaconfiere al dibujo lineal parte de suatractivo, por la especial belleza del tra-zo limpio y puro sobre el blanco inma-culado del papel. Si bien esto es ciertoen la mayora de las ocasiones, puedeocurrir que nos interese incidir tambinen los aspectos que la lnea excluye, sin

renunciar a la calidad y a la expresindel puro trazo. Entonces podemos re-currir a los dos conceptos antagnicosde la lnea y la masa, que sorprenden-temente se conjugan bien; su unin ha-ce convivir en una misma expresin laatemporalidad de la arquitectura y elinstante detenido de un cielo tormen-toso. Las diversas manchas que pode-mos incluir en el dibujo a lnea aadenintensidad a las profundidades de losdiversos planos, a la vez que aumentanla sensacin de contraluz o sombra dealguna de las partes y recrean con ma-yor certeza determinados elementos co-mo el agua y sus reflejos. En la combi-nacin de estos elementos antagnicos,la tcnica de la acuarela es la mejor alia-da del lpiz, del bolgrafo y la pluma.Lgicamente, en este ltimo caso, de-be utilizarse tinta resistente al agua, loque desaconseja la pluma estilogrfica,

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mientras que con la plumilla de palille-ro obtenemos magnficos resultados.(Figs. 15 y 16).

La conjuncin de la masa y de la l-nea nos proporciona un nuevo mto-do de dibujar que ofrece resultados al-tamente satisfactorios, a la vez que unmodo de trabajar gratificante, ya queana los dos valores a los que aluda-

mos al inicio. En estas ocasiones se co-mienza el dibujo sin encajado, sin l-neas bsicas de apoyo, directamentesobre el papel en blanco con trazos ymanchas de acuarela, con la preocu-pacin de situar adecuadamente lasmasas y la corporeidad de los diversoselementos. Una vez concluida esta fa-se, se contina con la pluma que cons-truye a lnea sobre las tenues sombrasde la acuarela, incorporando detalles,materiales y sistemas constructivos,con el rigor caracterstico de este me-

dio. El proceso debe ser ste y no elcontrario, pues no interesa empezarpor un dibujo minucioso al que final-mente damos color. Trabajando desdeel conjunto, desde las masas, el efectoes ms libre e intenso, pues presta aten-cin a los valores pictricos experi-mentados en el dibujo de estatua, so-bre los que se superpone el detalle y lavisin arquitectnica. (Fig. 17).

Estas experiencias aqu mostradasa modo de ejemplo nos permiten cons-tatar una permanente relacin entre laarquitectura y su expresin en la lnea,con variadas soluciones grficas ajus-tadas a diversos criterios y conceptos.Demuestran un idilio interminable en-tre ambas, con respuestas para diver-sas situaciones y actitudes gracias a laversatilidad de las tcnicas de dibujoen la siempre apasionante representa-cin arquitectnica.

17. Juan M. Bez. Zamora, 1996, 46 x 61 cm.


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We can think that, if these previous ideas were truth,more than preventing the historical development ofthe machines production to mechanize individually theincipient theory of the vision, what they did was to con-tribute precisely to it. As in their Tuscans beginningsthe desire of be able to look at the wished thing nev-er lost his aptitude to fascinate their users, beingchased by a craving that might be labelled of in anso outrageous way like in a onanist one.In some books published in Seville between 1623 -Dazade Valds- and 1625, less recognized of what for theirimportance they deserve, it is gathered a synthesis of

the most ample zeal that on the topic took place andthat, logically, we are not going to develop here.

EpilogueThe telescope was monocular for a long time and, un-til to the 19th century, the binoculars or twins specta-cles did not arise. For the same time the camera wasformalized likewise, as derivative of the dark camera,in which it had fused the window and hole conceptsmaterializing the look. Its applications were, at first, tothe things that they could be still: the architecture andthe dead men; later it began to reflect everything whatit was possible to see for a lock. Nowadays, the pho-tographys are forbidden by some cultures, like an an-cient recollection of the dangerous looks.The cinematograph was an extension of the photog-raphy that has tried the zeal to observe in some of itsmovies. In The Draughtsmans Contract(1982) of Pe-ter Greenaway the protagonist Mr. Neville, a promis-ing and ambitious draftsman -Anthony Higgins- putsinto practice with his perspective useless device thelucubration of the before mentioned text. In my opin-ion, very probably, the idea that on Dureros machineis revealed in the previous writings had to be influ-enced by the vision of this movie. These texts wereprevious to the draft of these and which, in addition,was measured with a compass by this Anglo-Saxonintellectualism to which, when it is not had of birth,some of they of them get used with great speed.Less explicit in the topic of the useless devices and,in that time, in the visions, it is the movie Near Win-dow-translated in Spain as La ventana indiscretaand in Italy as La finestra sul cortile -realized in 1954by Alfred Hitchcock which is constituted, moved to thefifties of the 20th century, in the symbolic paradigm ofthe solitary voyeuristic meetings of the XVIIth. Becausein Hitchcocks suggestive movie not only the finestraalbertiana exists -or sul cortile- of the person wholooks and gives a title to the work, but the multiple win-dows of the observed ones, the dark camera of Jef-friess photographic device (James Stewart, 1908-1997)and up to the telescope binocular -those seeing can-nons which were mentioned by Daza de Valds- whichwas used in the plot the entertaining, first, a fun and,after, a worried protagonist.

we follow this art concept we should see shapes inthe landscape, learn how to m odel them until theyhave the expected look, shape and colour and theyare able to represent the reality.This concept make the traditional shape drawing de-velop different values very useful to represent real-ity. This is one of the main disciplines in the classicpainting education.This way to see the reality affects other arts as thearchitecture where we can appreciate the details aspart of a group. We ca n appreciate this also on thegradient painting where we can observe the details

on their own position on the space taking care of thelight and the distance of the observer. Stain drawinggives the architect a essential way of looking to thereality, taking care of the light and the space. In fact,there is a place in every Architectonical College thattalks about line drawing as the right too l on archi-tecture. Even tough this idea is losing its importancethrough the years . Many times it is not really clearwith it is the main objective of this line and which arethe main conditions that this line should achieve.There is a contradiction between the stain techniquerealised by the charcoal and the human sculpturesand the idea that old colleges has about the line. Thisunequal status confuses the architectonic studies asstain and line are supposed to be the equal ends ofa scale, as we can use one or the other but alwaysbearing in mind the existence of the other. They are

the two pure ways that we should look at. They areessential and complementary. Each one needs theother one as a mirror as when we work with staindrawing the line is invisible and while we work withthe line the stain is invisible.The characteristics developed by the stain drawingare really necessary, no matter which way we willchoose to express it. They will be essential when weare trying to use the line drawing where we will needthe exact details to limit the shapes as the right un-derstanding of the volume and the space. It seemsthat if we want to use a par ticular language we willneed to understand its opposite. When we are work-ing with line drawing, we need to think about the staintrying to avoid all the characteristics that creates itand vice versa. Using this contradiction we can haveboth methods in our work.It seems clear to say that line drawing has a moreprominent abstraction than other artistic expressions.The main value is its way of capturing the reality andrepresenting it with a limited number of elementstherefore you can read it on a clear and easy way.We should outline the shapes with clear strokes sothey are defined in the space.The second idea we can extract from Leonardo quoteis what we called la falacia del contorno. In otherwords, line drawing that is not focus on the outlinesand the objects edges to achieve its own expression.

LINE DRAWING AND ARCHITECTUREAN ETERNAL ROMANCE

by Juan Manuel Bez Mezquita

Talking about the Dresden Gallery paintings: They are all greatif the drawings were not full of colour I cannot stop think-ing that these colours are not telling the truth if they wouldhave only the outline, we will a much more realistic image.Schiller

Conceptus

Objects outlines are incapable () Outline is the end of thesurface, the line stroke is invisible, so if you are a painter, do

not outline the objects with linesLeonardo da Vinci

On this quote from Leonardo on his painting essay heis showing a concept based on the proper surfaceagainst the lines. He is insisting that the line is in-visible in the nature. He gets this result from the ob-servation of the lines that we use to limit the shapesof the objects that are not really representing whatwe are seeing, they are indicating the end of theshape, the outline. Therefore, if we are trying to im-itate reality, we should not create outlines with lines.They are representing an invisible stroke as Leonar-do says; these lines are only a sketch made by thedrawer.These affirmations deny the existence of the line inthe reality while at the same time tell the importance

of the line on the drawing because it gives to the mod-el a lot of geometrical values. Line drawing alwaysconsists on inventing a code to represent reality. Thisrequires an analysis and a summary of the object toadapt it to the new language. This is how it worksthe drawing trying to represent architecture. The linewill always be an abstraction creating limits to thenatural shapes where there is no limit. Lines createthis effect because of its rad ical character that di-vides the reality.It seems contradictory to start an essay about linedrawing with a quote about the no-use of lines to de-limit the shapes, although Leonardo is proposing tworeally important ideas about this topic. The first onesays that we should avoid the use of lines when weare trying to create a gradient effect (sfumato). Thesecond one, it is my own opinion that we should avoidto base all our drawings on the outlines. That is be-cause line drawing is not only an outline exercise,it is something much more intense and complex thatneeds to analyse reality, understand the scene andfinally create a really clear representation.If we think about the first concept we realise thatmost of the art students are following Leonardosquote: the line does not exits in the landscape. Wecannot realize outline drawings on a first stage to ap-ply colour or grey scale afterwards, even though thishas been very common in the whole history of art. If


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different pens on the same drawing: the thicker one forthe first shots and the thinner one for the backgroundcreating deepness on the scene. (Fig 1,2, and 3).Normally satin paper is considered the most ade-quate for pen drawing because in this type of paperstrokes achieve a great thickness and intensity. Oth-erwise, we can also use more rough surfaces, butthey are not highly recommended because the strokenormally appears so thin and many times it will breakdown. If we are looking for a really intense stroke fullof ink, the best paper we can use is the satin one.Therefore if we prefer a lighter stroke to add more

detail to the elements we should choose a roughersurface.Drawing with a fountain pen will never better thandrawing with a pen, but it is faster and more com-fortable as we wont need the inkpot. This way it iseasier to use but it will give less quality to the draw-ing. (Fig. 5, 6, 7 and 8).Pencil always means freedom. If we compare it withany other pen it is always faster and more comfort-able. And we do not have to forget one of its maincharacteristics: we can have much different intensi-ty. It can be clearer or darker depending on how muchpressure we apply. This will give the stroke many dif-ferent characters and many ways to represent thescene. We can use more intense ones for the firstshots or lighter for the background ones. We can cre-ate outlines and volumes. (Fig. 9 and 10).

As we were discussing earlier, the roughness of thesurface will affect the character of the stroke but onthe other way round. A satin paper will create a lightand clean stroke (Fig. 11 and 12), but a rough one willcreate a more intense one (Fig. 13).Pen is more exigent on its definition and character.We draw or we do not, we do not h ave intermedi-ate situations. We cannot try some marks to help us;otherwise the drawing will look dirty and confused.Therefore we can have light lines when we are us-ing the pencil giving more freedom to the hand. Pen-cil allows all these techniques; it is one of the mostversatile tools.If you are trying to take a few quick drawing notesabout an object not in a very comfortable position,the pencil is the best tool to use. I particularly usereddish one that it is more stable than the graphitebut soft enough to run free across the paper follow-ing my hand (Fig. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19). In thesesituations, pen is not fast enough. It requires moreattention to detail; it needs more concentration thatwhen using the pencil it is not necessary.Line drawing following its own nature it does not payattention to represent the abstract as the sky or thefocus colour of the objects. These are elements thatwe totally forget when we are using line drawing andit is what make this type of drawing so special: itsclear and clean effect on a white paper. We should

Line drawing in architecture is much more than on-ly drawing. It is a way to look to reality understand-ing the scene, the volumes It is a way of drawinganalytic and constructive where the outline it is notthe main focus. It is only a part of its structure as theimportant thing is not to generate shapes; it is the re-sult of how they look like.Outline drawing is generated from outside to inside.Therefore, line drawing as architects understand it,it should not follow this order. It should be from in-side to outside following the geometry and the shapesof the object until the drawing develop a image wherewe can find some outlines as a result of the objectanalysis. The outline takes place as a visual accident,a story telling of how the artist shows his work.Sometimes outline drawing is used as dimensionalbase where we can place colour and shadows. Hereis where we can understand that it is not the main ob-jective to achieve; it is only the result of how to rep-resent the shape. On the other hand, line drawing isan independent method. This characteristic allows itto represent the complex reality by simplifying the el-ements but without losing its expressive character.The stroke is following and the shapes that builds thewhole scene. Line is originated as an intense men-tal process created by the artist. This type of drawingis going a step further. It is not only thinking about theoutline appearance. It is trying to analyse the shapecreating images parallels to reality.Avoiding shadows and colour this drawing is impulse

to look for new expressive codes that keep the com-munication between reality and the representationand which avoid to lose information that allow theobserver to understand the scene. This way of draw-ings gives the line an eternal value more importanteven than the view; looking for the essence of theshapes and the geometric volumes showing the re-al character of architecture.

InstrumentaLine drawing does not need a lot of tools. It is onlyneed an object that going along the sheet of papercreates a scratch. The most common tool used is thepen as it has a great quality and definition on itsstroke. Therefore nowadays artist has started to usefelt-tip pens because of its fluency and easy use. Oth-er artists use pencils, the universal drawing tool, per-

fect for every circumstance.Talking about pens, palilleroone it is the best oneto use. Its ink recipient, that we really need to useconstantly, it is available for a few cents. Its stroke itis so beautiful. There are pens with different thick-ness. The thin and flexible are the proper ones to usefor drawing. The thicker ones are the best ones touse when writing. Also depending on the hand pres-sure applied on the stroke it will make the line thick-er or thinner. Pen is the successive object from thequill, therefore its stroke it is harder. We can use two

00 analyse also the main characteristics of the line. Weshould talk then about the stain and the line, two op-posite concepts that work well together. Their mix al-lows having on the same painting a clear and spec-tacular architectonical figure and a stormy sky. Thedifferent stains that we can include on line drawinggive it a lot of intensity, deepness and back light ef-fect. Watercolour is the best technique to mix stainswith pen or pencil. If we are using a pen we have tobe careful to use waterproof ink. (Fig. 20, 21 and 22).The mixture of stain and line give us a new techniquewith amazing results and really satisfactory becauseit mixes the values that we were discussing at thebeginning. This technique uses the drawing withoutbasic lines or structure. It works applying directlystrokes and watercolour stains trying to createshapes and elements. Then we can use a pen on theshadows of the watercolour creating details. But barein mind that this should be the order and not the oth-er way around. We should not start applying colouron a detailed drawing. We should work as a whole,starting with the watercolour stains. (Fig. 23 and 24).All these explanations are an example to show thetight relation between architecture and the line andthe different tools to use. These show their eternalromance with answer in all the situations thanks toits versatility of the drawing and the passionate rep-resentation of the architecture.


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1/ GARCA ORTEGA, A. J. y RUIZ DE LA ROSA, J. A. Diseoestructural en el primer gtico andaluz (I): Reglas yproporcin. EGA, n 14, pp. 100-107. Valencia, 2009.2/ On the undeniable relationship between the Gothicmaster (origin, education, etc.) and his architectural work,see CARRASCO HORTAL, J. y MILLN GMEZ, A. Laestructura gtica catalana: Sobre los conceptos de medida

y espacio. El problema de la forma de la cubierta. Fecsa-Endesa. Barcelona, 2006, pp. 20-23.

3/ The other parish c hurches were lost, others wereerected later after the medieval period or some othersreused a mosque for a long time. The floors of the studiedchurches can be found at: GARCA ORTEGA, A. J. y RUIZ

DE LA ROSA, J. A., op. cit. p. 104.4/ CMEZ RAMOS, R. Las empresas artsticas de Alfonso Xel Sabio. Excma. Diputacin Provincial de Sevilla.Sevilla,1979, pp. 98-9.5/ The Cordobas parish churches could not be initiatedbefore the late thirteenth century. At such timing, theBurgos constructive works had already built the vaults,and the buildings were substantially completed. Recentresearch on Las Huelgaschurch imply its inception in the

early thirteenth century (PALOMO FERNNDEZ, G. y RUIZSOUZA, J. C. Nuevas hiptesis sobre las Huelgas deBurgos. Escenografa funeraria de Alfonso X para unproyecto inacabado de Alfonso VIII y Leonor de

Plantagent. Goya, n 316-317, pp. 21-44, Enero-Abril 2007.Madrid, 2007).6/ The workers mobility would be encouraged, bec ausewages in Andaluca and Extremadura were higher than inthe area between Toledoand the DueroRiver (CMEZRAMOS, R. Los constructores de la Espaa medieval.Universidad de Sevilla. Sevilla, 2001, pp. 73 y 129).7/ CMEZ RAMOS, R., op. c it., pp. 2001, pp. 69-71.8/ HERNNDEZ JIMNEZ, F. El codo en la Historia rabe

de la Mezquita Mayor de Crdoba. Contribucin al estudiodel monumento. Al-Mulk. Anuario de Estudios Arabistas, n2. Aos 1961-62, pp. 44-52. Real Academia de Crdoba.Crdoba, 1962.

of the year 1304, between Ferdinand IV and Muham-mad III. We know that they worked at the Alcazar, onthe citys wall, or in the cathedral, here forcibly andonly two days a year. Other times they worked en-couraged by exemptions of tax, such as those whowere involved in the parish churches works in 1280.9.However, the demographic and socioeconomic stud-ies of the time did not detect a large Muslim commu-nity, and the group did not play an important role in so-ciety of the time. This casts doubts on certain Islamiccharacteristics of the early southern Christians build-ings, rashly described as mudjares.

In Cordoba, there is another important issue, derivedfrom dimensional similarities between Christian andIslamic ashlars. The parish churches constructionsupported local traditions, as since Roman times,stonework with sandstone extracted from the foothillswere used. This practice was taken over by Islamicbuilding, reducing the stones size. This size, howev-er, is substantially like that of Christian works of thethirteenth and fourteenth centuries, which paradoxi-cally is unusually large in the peninsula context, whereit continued to shrink the ashlars size10.The walls of S. Miguel, S. Lorenzo, Santa Marina andS. Nicols de la Villa have been measured by Jor-dano11, and their values have been tested for this work.Also, measurements have been taken from the wallsof S. Pedro, Santiagoand S. Andrs. Analyzed all thesevalues, the most common ashlars lengths are 100-110

cm (ranging between 78 and 113 cm), the thickness-es being between 20-21 cm (range of 17-30 cm) andthe blocks height having 40-41 cm (range of 32-43 cm).In parallel, the authors 12 who study the local Islamicconstruction set as usual 70-120 cm for the ashlarslength, 20-25 cm for the thickness and 35-42 cm for thepieces height. Thus, they are practically the same val-ues. This suggests that many stones were taken fromthe great buildings of the Caliphate stage. Thus, therecords of the mid fourteenth century demonstratesit for the collegiate churchs head of S. Hiplito. Forthe churchs construction, ashlars were used from theold Palatine city of Medina Azahara, then known asCrdoba la Vieja13. Sometimes the ashlars could havebeen taken from the neighborhood mosques, whichwere dismantled to reuse their yards.This spoliation material explains that the most com-mon stonework was an along ashlar alternating witha transversal one. This does not imply the involve-ment of Islamic masters, although some cases havebeen documented14. This is primarily a local feature15,differently materialized in the Islamic and late me-dieval Christian walls. The first is solid, with thealong ashlar alternating with two or more transver-sal ashlars16.However, in the parish buildings thetransversal ashlar is unique, doubled just in the cor-ners, because the couple of blocks that make upeach one of the two walls of a tripartite phase wall.

has traditionally required to hypothesize on theseissues. For instance, in La Magdalena, it was as-sumed the intervention of the Royal Stonemason,a theory still disputed today, since only the involve-ment of Christian artisans is accepted. Because offormal affinities (mostly in the frontispieces), R.Cmez4 suggests that most of the remaining parishchurches should be attributed to only two masters:the so-cal led master from 1248would take part inLa Magdalena and Santa Marina, going to Jerez in1264 (where he worked at S. Dionisioand S. Lucas)and then to Seville, where he would spread the Cor-

dovan architectural typologies. There was also themaster of 1260, working in Santiago, S. Lorenzo, S.Pedro, S. Nicolsand S. Miguel.Some links have also been established outside of An-dalusia. Thus, an influence from the center of Castileis unanimously accepted, being exercised by masterstrained in the work of Las Huelgas monastic churchand in the Burgos Cathedral. The adjacent apsechapels, some elements and decorative motifs, alongwith an undeniable Cistercian aspect, point to a linkwith the monastic complex; also the vaults spine nerveof the cathedral or some Gothicism indicate an spe-cific influence of such construction.We can not assume the implication of the importantmasters who directed the earlier Burgos works5. How-ever, their forms influenced countless peninsular build-ings of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, which

suggests the artisans dispersion being trained in theirconstructions. They could carry with them the localunit of measurement, the Burgos stick. Despite thedifficulty to determine the medieval units equivalence,we know that the Burgos stick equals 83.59 cm. Overtime, the yardstick would be known as the Castilianstick, being the Hispanic kingdoms official measureafter innumerable unifying attempts.Alongside the roving teams of stonemasons or work-ers who came specifically for some works, perhapsstimulated by higher wages, we must assume theparticipation of local craftsmen, Christians or Mus-lims6. These are documented in Castilian medievalconstruction, sometimes in conjunction with Chris-tian stonemasons. In fact, R. Cmez7 claims that theycould take part in the Cordovan constructions, as im-plied by some similarities in the stonework; that is,an ashlar placed alongside followed by a transver-sal one. This calls for the presence of Islamic units,yet poorly understood and unevenly alluded in an-cient writings. In fact, only the so called rassasi el-bow(58.93 cm) and mamuni elbow(47.14 cm) weredetected in Cordoba and meticulously quantified longago by Flix Hernndez8.The bricklayers were members of the Cordovan Mus-lim population. There are historic documents that tellabout bricklayers shortages, which led to its massiveemigration to the kingdom of Granada, after the truce

STRUCTURAL DESIGN IN THE FIRST AN-DALUSIAN GOTHIC (II):MASTERS AND MEASURES

by Antonio Jess Garca Ortega andJos Antonio Ruiz de la Rosa

The Gothic construction was essential to establish theexact size of all the buildings elements. For this, theempirical rules were used and some simple ratios,in conjunction with metrology. It impinged on the met-rical pattern, which is established for each building,

the measuring stick orvirga. Its importance should notbe questioned, despite the difficulties to understandand assess the impact of the medieval multiple units.In the first Gothic buildings in Andalusia, Cordovanparish churches are a large group, homogeneous andwell preserved, allowing further investigation. This isa particular case, but very significant, about how asimple architectural model is used to build manychurches. They have great similarities between them(figure 1), despite its peculiarities. This allows study-ing a single aspect of design or dimensioning in manybuildings with identical space-time coordinates, some-thing that is essential to set up reliable hypothesesabout the opaque structural dimensioning criteria inthe Gothic period.Previous studies about these buildings have dealt withtheir proportions or dimensions in relation to distance,

height and slenderness. They have shown strong linksbetween the churches of the late thirteenth century,and have also demonstrated simple rules whose ap-plication was not confined to Cordoba1.Incorporating some interesting constructive data andwith the aid of dimensional analysis, the aim is now toextend the study to the difficult question of metrology.This aspect is closely linked to the churches buildersand their graphic, numeric and metrology skills2.

Inquiring about the buildersAll Cordovan churches adopted a same basilica planwith three apsidal chapels. This allowed, by varyingonly the ships length, to construct buildings of differ-ent sizes (figure 2). Thus, the churches called La Mag-dalena, S. Lorenzo, S. Pedro, Santiago, Sta. Marina, S.

Miguel and S. Nicolswere built. These would be theheadquarters for seven of the fourteen parish areas,established in the city after the Castilian conquest 3.The architectural typology allowed to solve each case(geometry of the site, incorporating minaret, and soon), only with some variations in the gable ends fa-cade, apses, frontispieces, etc. Despite this, the ho-mogeneous result suggests the involvement of a smallgroup of masters.Unfortunately, there are no historical documents onthe buildings: we have no trace, data on authorship,books of the works account, expert reports, etc. This

ega-el dibujo a linea y la arq

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