Monday, June 13, 2005

Frank Lloyd Who?
Getting up to speed on one of America's most prominent sons...

"No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other."
Frank Lloyd Wright
Over this past weekend, my brother, TD3k, and his wife were in the lovely state of Pennsylvania for the wedding of their best friend's son. Quite fortunately for my brother, an architect by trade, the location of the wedding was going to be very close to one of the most famous residential structures in the country. A house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who, by all reasonable measures is one of the most influential and prominent architects in modern history. The structure in question is a residence designed by Wright in 1935 called Fallingwater. A truly remarkable structure that is seemingly hewn from the stone on which it sits yet somehow remains apart from it as well. Could imagine growing up in this house?

I guess since I grew up surrounded by my brother's collegiate study of architecture (How many nights did I watch him stay up late to draft plans or build models?) that I'm more exposed than the average person. But during the course of casual conversation with friends and co-workers about what my brother was off doing, I was stunned at how many of them had never even heard of Frank Lloyd Wright, or knew that he had designed houses like Fallingwater or the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. That's a terrible shame in my opinion. Viewing his work can be truly captivating, especially considering the harmony that all of his designs sought to express. In the case of the Guggenheim in particular, the building is every bit as interesting to behold as the works of modern art housed inside it.

Well this has been an extremely cultured post, much more highbrow than my usual fare but with lofty goals! So I hope you take some time to read up on F.L. Wright and his contributions to the art and science of architecture.

Until next time!

PS - TD3k has posted some awesome pictures of his tour of Fallingwater. Be sure and check them out.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is a shame most people can't link his name to things he's done. I bet they would know it if they saw it. His stuff appears in movies. I know one when I see one, but I wouldn't know the names of them. Kind of like the difference between pornography and art, you know it when you see it. Or so the supreme court says ...

~Jef

Anonymous said...

Interesting work. I would probably have to walk through his buildings to really appreciate the architecture.

The building that is my favorite, and which is located in the great city of Fort Worth, is the Kimbell Art Museum. I have been able to visit this museum several times, and on each visit, I have to stop viewing the artwork to marvel at the beauty of the building's design.