Have you ever been star struck by a celebrity? Most have, probably by a human celebrity. I was star struck over New Year's when I went to Frank Lloyd Wright's home, studio, and architectural campus, Taliesin West, in Scottsdale, Arizona. For those of you who might not be as enamored by the architectural greats as I am, let me give you a brief run down on this innovative genius.
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was an American interior designer, writer, educator, author, furniture designer, and architect. Wright was an apprentice under Louis Sullivan at Adler & Sullivan, where he had a hands-on education. Because of his experiences at Adler & Sullivan, he believed in learning by doing and did not allow apprentices at Taliesin to have a formal college education.
Wright and his family would spend their summers at Taliesin in Wisconsin, and would winter at Taliesin West in Scottsdale. He was inspired by the desert landscape and beautiful light, which played a huge role in his designs. Many of the structures at Taliesin West have canvas roofs to let light filter through. Wright preferred to work under natural light. The rooms are built into the hills, and vertical openings shoot out of the ground so horizontal light pours through the spaces.
Wright loved the theater and movies. He played with different angles in one of his movie theaters to create the perfect viewing and acoustic experience for guests such as Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. He created the "Prairie Style" home. Wright was greatly influenced by his travels to Japan. A large percentage of Wright's income came from dealing art.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an opinionated, headstrong creator who studied nature to understand how to design spaces. Visiting Taliesin West challenges me to consider the effects of light, nature, branding, art, spatial layout, and human interaction. He mastered them all.
A few of his most well known works: Fallingwater, Usonian homes, Guggenheim Museum.
Here are some of the pics I snapped:
If you're not completely bored, and want to read more, check out the Taliesin website.
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