An afternoon of memories with Cristina Gatto
Last Wednesday, at the Victoria Hotel, Cristina Gatto, daughter of the famous Uruguayan architect Gilberto Gatto, and her daughter María Teresa, shared a series of memories and anecdotes about her father.
Cristina talked about how both her life and her sister's life revolved around works, constructions, drawings, plans, architecture and photography.
The teachers of the School of Architecture Iván Sinchi and Fernanda Aguirre asked questions aimed at topics such as architecture and photography.
Ivan Sinchi: Regarding the photographic archive, did the architect have any predilection for taking pictures of landscapes, the city, people or something specific?
Cristina Gatto: He loved taking pictures of nature, in addition, from cities like Cuenca and Quito. He loved taking family photos and his works. He made a lot of portrait and even naked. He made them of medium square format.
I have pictures of me as a child while the Central University of Quito was being built, at that time the architects used aprons and the smell of pencils and erasers was wonderful. He had a great love for his works and for the cities where he worked, the girl in his eyes was Cuenca.
Maria Teresa: He was someone who knew what he was doing, he was an excellent photographer, his photos have a perfect composition. He was possibly using a Roller Flex that has a difficult format and yet they were very good photos.
Ivan Sinchi: Regarding the architect's studio, how was it? There were a lot of people? Did he have students there?
Cristina Gatto: As I recall, my father came to Ecuador to make the regulatory plan of the Central University, and at that time there was no architecture faculty, architecture was studied in fine arts. And, after researching and working, my father managed to found the first Faculty of Architecture of Ecuador at the Central University of Quito. He was professor and dean of the faculty, and, there was a small study with inns and stools. It was full of blueprints, papers, inks, colors and especially few people.
There I met the painter Oswaldo Guayasamin, he was a friend of my father and he was there drawing, in this kind of drawing room. Some time later my father had his own studio in downtown Quito and there were 3 or 4 people, no more.
Fernanda Aguirre: It is impressive how modernity in Latin America came to us through foreign voices, my question is: What did you see or what did you find, the architect, in Ecuador to take a cutting edge here?
Cristina Gatto: I believe that the moment my father went to Ecuador fell in love with the country. And that motivated him and made him stay. In addition, he met my mother here and formed his family here.
Maria Teresa: My dad said that my grandfather was classic in his modernism. My grandfather was a bridge between the classic colonial and what is purely modernist, in addition, it was extremely detailed, even with a building of 12 floors. And, above all, my grandfather's works have survived through time, it is a type of construction that no longer exists. Apart from an architect, he was a perfectionist and that is seen in his works. And speaking of photography, my dad was an excellent photographer, but Gilberto was more an artist.
UDA Correspondent
