Dicken Castro, prestigious Colombian architect and graphic designer who passed away on November 21, 2016 at the age of 95, leaving behind an important legacy in both fields.
Dicken Castro and his professional life
This important Colombian artist, born in Medellín on September 23, 1922 began his professional training as architect at the National University of ColombiaHe completed postgraduate degrees at the University of Oregon where he belonged to the teaching staff and at Bowcentrum in Rotterdam he studied urban planning and later returned to his native country as a professor at the National University's Faculties of Fine Arts and Architecture.
In his training process he had highly recognized teachers such as Leopoldo Rother, Bruno Violi and Karl Brunner, as well as fellow faculty such as the renowned architect Germán Samper and Pablo Solano also renowned painter and architect, both of Colombian origin.
Later and in 1968 he founded "Dicken Castro y Cía., Architecture and Graphic Design”, From there great relationships took place in the field of graphic design, in fact more than 400 logo designs are attributed to the artist, such as that of Camacho Roldán y Compañía, Latin American Episcopal Conference of 1979, Sidelpa, Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá, Social Security, Colsubsidio, XXXIX International Eucharistic Congress and many others, being one of the first architects who with sufficient basic knowledge entered the world of graphic design, it is worth saying that with great success, since became a historical reference both Colombian architecture and graphic design.
Dicken castro I make the design of two coins for national circulation, one of 200 pesos whose obverse shows a spindle steering wheel belonging to the Quimbaya culture and one of 1.000 pesos already in disuse where a filigree earflap can be seen illustrating one of its sides.
Some of the samples of its architecture are the Paloquemao Market Square developed in conjunction with Jacques Mosseri in 1967 and whose strategic location and design allow the coexistence of different activities and functions while inviting buyers to enter it through a large and attractive facade that does not show any business towards the street, designed to let the city enter it and not the other way around.
Other of his works, the Theater and Children's Shelter of the Los Lagartos Club, Alpopular Winery and Exhibition Center, Paipa Hotel and Convention Center, Los Eucaliptos Building, the latter being worthy of Latin American Architecture Award And we cannot fail to mention the Casita, an architectural work considered by his son Lorenzo as his father's masterpiece, which was conceived when he was just beginning his life as a couple with Lía and when he decided to carry out a small house that had just 20 meters and consisting of bathroom, kitchen and accommodation for 5 people.
It is considered a magical house due to the capacity of its spaces when it comes to exercising up to two and three functions, making such a small space very useful, beds that are also sofas, doors that fold to save space, etc. end took care of every detail for the sake of functionality and practicality.
An important fact is that Dickens He was one of the first architects to make use of brick, exposing it to view within his designs and on the walls of the different buildings that were erected under his creation, perhaps this form of expression of his art comes from that taste and admiration that he developed in his childhood for the Metropolitan Cathedral of MedellínA fairly large church that he frequently visited with his mother and where the bricks of the construction were observed both inside and out.
He was the youngest of seven siblings, his father was a doctor, as well as a writer and politician, while his mother was a person with a great appreciation for everyday life and architecture.