We all know that for some reason EVERYONE knows about Frank Lloyd Wright and that is were their knowledge of architects stops.
I've recently had an unusually high number of conversations with random people who have said something along the lines of "Do you do that contemporary stuff like Frank Lloyd Wright" or "Oh you're and architect, you must like Frank Lloyd Wright"...etc.
So this has just prompted me to try and start a count of when this happens.
every time that my mother-in-law sees a building that has even the smallest bit of design to it, she refers to it as "frank lloyd wright-ish"... ugh...
My dear distant sister knows of my Wright interest. The strangest thing I've received as a gift is a FLLW pop-up book. She also sent Storrer's CD version of his indispensable guide book. The CD sucks.
She wanted to send me a Wright watch. I begged her to save her money. The crap that is marketed with Wright's name attached would gag a maggot.
Everyone know Fallingwater and the Guggenheim. They are Wright's "Hallelujah Chorus" and "Toccata in d minor." As with Handel and Bach, there is so much more to Wright than the familiar war-horses.
my mother has given me every flw picture book she can find over the years. including the pop-up, sdr. she has steered clear of the ones with too many words.
I just finished reading "The Women". FLW comes across as such a selfish jerk, yet people loved him and still do. It's too bad that the public adoration of him still perpetuates the Genius Asshole stereotype that many ascribe to architects.
How about we ping every time an aspiring architect declares his independence from FLLW the second they themselves discover something else. Yes Wright is mainstream, and he's inspired many architects to become only to realize that no other architects are generally not appreciated by the general public...1-2% of which ever hire one.
the last time someone asked me "what kind of architecture do you like?" I responded well Olbrich and the Vienna Secessionists of course" subject changed immediately to American Idol.
Yeah, i like that too. Then you can listen while you're told a bunch of stuff that's partially true (at best) and tot up the list of misconceptions and clichés to yourself, stifling a yawn.
I recall hearing a young realtor speak of a "Frank Lloyd" house nearby, when in fact the nearest Wright building was in another state.
It's the work. Either you like it (some of it, anyway) or you don't. Idolatry leaves me cold. As a long-time fan, I can take some comfort in the list of architects who cite him as an influence. . .
A long-ago student at Cranbrook spent the summer working on a renovation of a FLW house. He (she?) was sanding the woodwork, and saved all the sandpaper. At the end of the summer (s)he made little bound books of the sandpaper pages, and gave them as gifts to people who wanted to own a FLW "original".
In my opinion, that is a lovely idea. I covet one of my own.
I wonder what the next step is, when you hear that. Do you ask what buildings they've seen and gone into ? What books they might own, or could find in their library, if they're interested ?
I generally downplay the personal side of the story -- it's too easy to focus on the salacious and dramatic. On the other hand, I don't believe in pretending that there weren't problems, both at home and on the building site. I continue to support the notion that Wright was a somewhat self-indulgent artist/architect, and that his buildings both excel and suffer because of that fact.
May 26, 09 3:28 pm ·
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Non Architect's use of Frank Lloyd Wright Count.
We all know that for some reason EVERYONE knows about Frank Lloyd Wright and that is were their knowledge of architects stops.
I've recently had an unusually high number of conversations with random people who have said something along the lines of "Do you do that contemporary stuff like Frank Lloyd Wright" or "Oh you're and architect, you must like Frank Lloyd Wright"...etc.
So this has just prompted me to try and start a count of when this happens.
Just ping the board when it happens to you.
1.
well do you like frank lloyd wright? DO YOU?
Can it be "contemporary" when they guy has been dead for 50 years?
every time that my mother-in-law sees a building that has even the smallest bit of design to it, she refers to it as "frank lloyd wright-ish"... ugh...
And they little about him. There's great depth. He's like Shakespeare juggling twelve ideas simultaneously.
My former in-laws have given me books about FLW on three different occasions as gifts.
My dear distant sister knows of my Wright interest. The strangest thing I've received as a gift is a FLLW pop-up book. She also sent Storrer's CD version of his indispensable guide book. The CD sucks.
She wanted to send me a Wright watch. I begged her to save her money. The crap that is marketed with Wright's name attached would gag a maggot.
Everyone know Fallingwater and the Guggenheim. They are Wright's "Hallelujah Chorus" and "Toccata in d minor." As with Handel and Bach, there is so much more to Wright than the familiar war-horses.
I think I am going to start pretending that I've never heard of him when people ask me what I think of FLW.
that would be fun, smarchitect.
my mother has given me every flw picture book she can find over the years. including the pop-up, sdr. she has steered clear of the ones with too many words.
Yeah, smarchitect, that's a great idea!
I too have the pop-up, it was a gift.
I just finished reading "The Women". FLW comes across as such a selfish jerk, yet people loved him and still do. It's too bad that the public adoration of him still perpetuates the Genius Asshole stereotype that many ascribe to architects.
I do, however, love his work.
How about we ping every time an aspiring architect declares his independence from FLLW the second they themselves discover something else. Yes Wright is mainstream, and he's inspired many architects to become only to realize that no other architects are generally not appreciated by the general public...1-2% of which ever hire one.
the last time someone asked me "what kind of architecture do you like?" I responded well Olbrich and the Vienna Secessionists of course" subject changed immediately to American Idol.
I also have the pop-up, also a gift - however it was given to me as a christmas present by my (at the time) 6 year old godson. so...
but smarchitect has a fantastic idea and I can't wait to try it out.
Yeah, i like that too. Then you can listen while you're told a bunch of stuff that's partially true (at best) and tot up the list of misconceptions and clichés to yourself, stifling a yawn.
I recall hearing a young realtor speak of a "Frank Lloyd" house nearby, when in fact the nearest Wright building was in another state.
It's the work. Either you like it (some of it, anyway) or you don't. Idolatry leaves me cold. As a long-time fan, I can take some comfort in the list of architects who cite him as an influence. . .
I really like his work, but I admit I still have not read any of the books I was given. I just look at the pictures!
smarchitect has the most excellent idea.
I buy all my architecture books for the pictures -- and sometimes learn something from the text, sooner or later !
Please send me all your dreadful copies of Midway Gardens, those trite Japanese monographs, etc. I'm happy to take them off your hands.
Yeah -- right !
I have a cargo sticker from the Imperial Hotel in Japan. I think it is real.
A friend brought me a couple of oak leaves from Bear Run. I think they are real.
A long-ago student at Cranbrook spent the summer working on a renovation of a FLW house. He (she?) was sanding the woodwork, and saved all the sandpaper. At the end of the summer (s)he made little bound books of the sandpaper pages, and gave them as gifts to people who wanted to own a FLW "original".
In my opinion, that is a lovely idea. I covet one of my own.
I like it -- though it reminds me a bit of the OCD woodworker skit on SNL -- did you ever see that ? I can't find it at YouTube. . .
I got one at the Nationals game on thursday. talking casually about what we both do, then BAM, "I'm big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright."
I wonder what the next step is, when you hear that. Do you ask what buildings they've seen and gone into ? What books they might own, or could find in their library, if they're interested ?
I generally downplay the personal side of the story -- it's too easy to focus on the salacious and dramatic. On the other hand, I don't believe in pretending that there weren't problems, both at home and on the building site. I continue to support the notion that Wright was a somewhat self-indulgent artist/architect, and that his buildings both excel and suffer because of that fact.
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