The Ministry of Culture, through the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain (IPCE), has completed the restoration of mural paintings by César Manrique recently discovered in the Agustín de la Hoz House of Culture in Arrecife, which, according to the IPCE's preliminary study, were "very deteriorated."
With an investment of 26,560 euros, the works have made it possible to recover "important paintings" by César Manrique, according to the Ministry of Culture in a statement. These are scenes that represent one of the painter's first concerns for modernity, where flat colors predominate to the detriment of the three-dimensionality of the scene, but which, on the other hand, seeks infinite perspectives in the landscape backgrounds of island memories.
The works have consisted of removing the superimposed layers until the original remains were discovered and consolidating the pictorial layer. The consolidation of the original lime and volcanic sand mortars, common in the construction of houses on the island, has also been important. Finally, the paintings have been cleaned and their chromatic integration has been carried out.
The Agustín de la Hoz House of Culture dates from the 19th century and has two floors with an elegant central wooden staircase made by the master carpenter Saavedra in that century, an example of unique architecture. During the 20th century it was the headquarters of the Casino de Arrecife, being then remodeled and converted into a Town Hall. It was in this building where Manrique made his first paintings.
