December 29, 2019:On the Trail of Cesar Manrique: All Manrique All Day is All Right

It is pretty much impossible to understand present day Lanzarote without understanding the influence of one Cesar Manrique, local boy made good, artist, architecture, sculptor and free thinker.

"To be absolutely free to create without fear or formula heartens the soul and opens the heart to the joy of living."

-----------------Cesar Manrique

Until Paul and I visited El Hierro and the fantastic overlook of "El Golfo" designed by him on the smallest of the inhabited Canary Islands, I have to admit I was not "arty" enough to know who Manrique was even though he was a respected colleague of Picasso, Miro and many other twentieth century Spanish artists. He never ran particularly with the "in" crowd, as far as recognition. But they all seemed to know and respect him. 

He was born in the capital city of Lanzarote. His family eventually moved to a beach town and he grew up with the sights, sounds and smells of the ocean which influenced his life and art. Someone said blue, green, brown and black were his palette. Manrique attended architect school, but didn't finish. Instead he volunteered for the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco. It didn't treat him all that well. It is said he came home in his uniform, went to the roof, took it off and burned it. He never spoke of it. He then went to art school in Madrid and then to New York under the influence of his uncle who was a psychoanalyst. He earned a Rockefeller scholarship and was able to set up his own studio and gain some acclaim in prestigious New York galleries. Then he felt the call of Lanzarote, and after two years in New York City returned home where his life intersected with many aspects of Lanzarote life. It still does today. 

Even though he died in a tragic car wreck near his home in Tahiche in 1992, it is still quite possible to follow him around this island that he so loved and tried to preserve. We started at the end. Right here in Haria, where he made his final home on the island and where he is buried in the cemetery.

The courtyard of Manrique's final home: Haria. The outdoor spaces are all lovely.

Manrique's living room. Note the comfy couches and the Canarian pottery lining the wall. There were many books including artwork of his contemporaries and a book called "Parrots of the World." The white coloration is very typical of Lanzarote, but not exactly the "typical" Canarian style. The wood ceilings are beautiful and are standard. 

Manrique moved to the Haria area which is the greenest northern segment late in life. He was 69 when he arrived here. He bought a farm house property and in the four remaining years he lived, he turned it into a peaceful paradise. It was obvious he wanted a quiet location, a large studio, a place he felt comfortable, but could entertain a friend or two. 

He obviously meant for all outdoor spaces to be stylish and a place to experience nature.

Note the "mod" swing and the plastic table and seats. 

This swimming pool encroaches onto the patio off the living room. It is said he planned to eventually have the pool come to the inside of the house.

He must have been a VOL. Oranges and white abound.

We weren't allowed to photo his bed and bath (nor this one...it's a sneakaboo photo). But all restrooms had windows on all side that allowed light and also a good look at nature.

This car belonged to Manrique and he painted it for a car show.

The whole place had a very modern but comfortable mystique and invited you in. It was beautiful but in a completely different way from his "young man's house" which we will show you later.

We could have hung out here all day frankly, but we were off to chase our artist...

Next we went to Cuevas de Verde. The only non-Manrique spot we visited, it still had his mark on it.

This cave is located near the ocean but not on it. It is a lava tube and has multiple levels.

Te 

Generally, they have made it walkable for about a mile, but left much of it intact. Except for the concert hall inside. Which is cool but quite unnatural! 

There was a little bit of green in the cave, but the name green came from the goat farmers who owned the land who were named Verde.

After a nice cool caverns walk, we crossed the road to Jameos de Agua. This was a hole in the ground, literally formed as a partially collapsed lava tube which farmers were using to discard garbage. Enter one Cesar Manrique who envisioned something a bit more spectacular than a dump. He turned it into a restaurant and entertainment space. There is a musical dinner show here nightly and by day, one can come in and see the blind white crabs that populate the tide pools. 

Once a garbage dump, Jameos de Aguas is now a restaurant and entertainment spaced salvaged from a partially collapsed lava tube on the Atlantic Ocean.

The pool at Jameos de Agua

The road to Jameos de Agua. Greenery grows over the lava fields.

Apparently crabs living in a cave do not need eyeballs.

The blind white crabs were quite small, about a centimeter in size and there were thousands of them in the natural tide pool. I couldn't get a good photo so here is a borrowed one.

Jameos de Agua is classic Manrique. Architecture built into nature.

From here we moved to his "manhood home" in Tahiche. This was also a very interesting home built above and into seven connecting lava tubes. It was as beautiful as it was fascinating. He had a large public upper level in Canarian white with lovely outdoor spaces, and then a series of lava tubes converted into his private quarters below. In a lot of ways, I could see Hugh Hefner sitting around on the couches. It looked like a party palace of sorts. Paul thought perhaps he was something of a hedonist and in fact, Manrique himself stated he wasn't a particular fan of religion, rules or politics. But after reading more about him, he neither smoked (very uncommon amongst men of his day), drank alcohol/did drugs (very weird for an artist of that era) and he went to bed early and got up early to go to his studio.  There were many photos of him though and they suggested he thoroughly enjoyed his life, his friends and being entertained. In a video with a gallerist, she said he had a very serious side, but he never wanted anyone to see it. 

The entry to Manrique's Tahiche home.

One of several lovely outdoor spaces on this complex he designed in his thirties.

This is near the swimming pool. Notice the public section of the house built ABOVE his private living spaces.

Entry into the first of the seven lava tubes that served as the "rooms" of the house.

The living room. Elvis and the boom boom room pale in comparison.

Now THAT is a lamp.

Another "sitting room" at party central. Beautiful sculptures and preservation of a tree. The lighting is natural.

The pool.  More VOL ware as well

Paul is upset. He used to think he lived in a nice house.

We thoroughly enjoyed chasing around Cesar Manrique, learning about his life, learning of his influence on Lanzarote, his incorporation of architecture and nature and his concern for the island and that it be treated with respect.  He engaged in protests against high rise condominiums and so far we have seen only one on the island. 

His life had a tragic end very near his home, but his passion for conservation and his sense of style lives on all over Lanzarote. 

From here, we were on to a beer in the square and then dinner at La Puerta Verde. Yes, we did eat there last night and we recommend it to anyone who makes it to this obscure location. Delish!

Mushroom and Ham Risotto

Lovely fish for a main course

Dessert - chocolate!

Let's leave this series of thoughts with an interesting one by Manrique:

The creation of flags, borders, anthems, religions, and political organizations has contributed to the progressive paralysis of any sane, peaceful effort of human coexistence, yet  a nation without tradition is destined to disappear."

Paul's Ponderings:  A great full day out here on Lanzarote....most of it focused on Cesar Manrique's legacy.   He's a person we first discoved on El Hierro around 24 months ago, but who we've found has a distinctive style that particularly impacted Lanzarote.   While not trained as an architect, he worked on very large scale structures with their own style that focuses on stone and a natural approach to the landscape and materials at hand.   His own homes that we visited here are stunning and made us say "wow, what a great place to live".   

The weather here today in December was super temperate and sunny.   We were reminded yet again of how inexpensive and pleasant it is to be here.   Tomorrow we head out to link up with our hiking group for a few days.   Much more to come!