Alphonse Laurencic facts for kids

Alphonse Laurencic (born July 2, 1902, in Enghien-les-Bains, France – died July 9, 1939, in Barcelona, Spain) was a French painter and architect. He is known for designing special jail cells during the Spanish Civil War. These cells were made to be very uncomfortable for prisoners.

Biography

Laurencic was born in France. His parents were immigrants from a country called Slovenia, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the Spanish Civil War, Laurencic supported the Republican side. They were fighting against the Nationalist army led by Francisco Franco.

In 1938, Laurencic helped to build some unique jail cells. These cells were designed to make people feel very uneasy. They looked a bit like modern art paintings by artists such as Salvador Dalí and Wassily Kandinsky.

According to a Spanish art historian named Jose Milicua, Laurencic spoke about these cells during his trial in 1939. He told the court that the cells were in Barcelona. They had beds that sloped at a 20-degree angle, making it almost impossible to sleep. The floors had bricks shaped in strange ways, which made it hard for prisoners to walk normally.

The cells were small, about 2 meters long and 1 meter wide. Their walls were covered in unusual patterns. These patterns were meant to make prisoners feel confused and stressed. Special lighting was also used to make the artwork even more dizzying. Some cells had a stone seat that was designed to make anyone sitting on it slide to the floor right away. Other cells were painted with tar, which made them extremely hot in the summer. Laurencic told the court that he built these cells after hearing about similar structures being built in other parts of Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Alfonso Laurencic para niños