Frank Lloyd Wright, born June 8, 1867, is not only one of the greatest architects in the world, but he was also the most prolific, arguable and inspiring. He was a writer, art collector, philosopher and visionary and all this inspired his approach to his profession. It is widely known for four styles of construction. He designed the Prairie style that emerged from his belief that we needed fewer, larger pieces that flowed more easily, his antithesis of the rigid architecture of the Victorian era. From there, the textile style was born, which led to the organic style and then to the Usonian style. His belief that buildings should be made of the Earth and benefit the Earth has inspired most of his work. These beliefs, avant-garde for its time, are still practiced and revered today.
1. “The architect must be a prophet… a prophet in the true sense of the word … if he can’t see ten years ahead, don’t call him an architect.”Frank Lloyd Wright was clearly a man ahead of his time. The design of many of his houses once seemed light years ahead of their time, and people often found it difficult to understand his vision, but almost all of our modern constructions use the ideals he thought were so important.
2. “Every great architect is-necessarily-a great poet. He must be a great original interpreter of his time, of his time, of his age.Frank Lloyd Wright first became known for his Prairie style of architecture which included low sloping roofs, overhanging eaves, a central fireplace, and open floor plans which he believed were the antidote to the limited, enclosed architecture of the Victorian era. From there, he established the textile style that took an even more linear approach, combined with the influences of Mayan architecture, which would pave the way for what Wright is perhaps best known for his organic architecture that uses natural resources combined with the influence of Japanese architecture. The organic style then gave way to the American style. It is clear to see how each style has grown and evolved from its predecessor.
3. “There must be as many (styles) houses as there are types (styles) of people and as many differences as there are different individuals. A man who has an individuality has the right to his expression and his own environment.”The works of Frank Lloyd Wright have a unique and individual style. Of its varied styles, no two houses or buildings are alike.
4. “A building must appear to develop easily from its location and be shaped to harmonize with its environment as nature manifests itself in it.”It should be noted that the buildings that the architect built in the west-central part of the United States are very different in nature, style and material from those that he designed in Arizona, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania. Each style is as unique as the composition of the terrain is different.
5. “No house should ever stand on a hill or on anything. It must come from the hill. From him. Hill and house should live together all the happier for each other.”Nowhere is this more evident than in organic architecture. Perhaps this is especially true of the Fallingwater House, where the house and the land really merged into one.
6. “The mother Art is architecture. Without our own architecture, we have no soul of our own civilization.”Frank Lloyd Wright built according to his vision of what the future would look like. He saw the need for more fluid houses, more open, more livable and less constrained. He foresaw the need to build from the Earth and for the Earth. The architecture has both documented an era in history and pushed the boundaries with its modern philosophical approach to the future of the building.
7. Mike Wallace, an American newsreader and television journalist, was told in 1957: “I would like to have a free architecture. I would like to have an architecture that belongs to the place where you see it, and that is a grace to the landscape rather than a shame. The letters we receive from our clients tell us how these buildings we have built for them have changed the character of their entire lives and their entire existence. And it’s different now than it was before. I would like to do that for the country.”And he certainly did. Mike Wallace did not understand the term organic and Wright had to explain that this term meant nature, that organic architecture was indeed a natural architecture. Today, fifty-five years after, we finally understand what the architect spoke about with such passion half a century ago.
8. “The right building is not the one that hurts the landscape, but the one that makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built.”Wright was synonymous with clean lines and simplicity. He believed that a well-built building complemented his surroundings and surroundings. He did not like the intricate details and bustle of the architectural styles that preceded him.
9.”Architecture is life, or at least life itself that takes shape, and therefore it is the truest account of life as it was lived in the world yesterday, as it is being lived today or will always be lived.”Architecture is perhaps the most faithful documentation of how a civilization lived and evolved. Art tells the story of a moment in time. Architecture tells the story of a past, a present and a future. We benefit from it, evolve, grow and move forward. Look at today’s modern homes. Look at their straight lines, their large open spaces, the lower roofs and how they fit perfectly into the varied geographical and landscapes. No doubt we see a bit of Frank Lloyd Wright in each of these buildings.
10. “The mother Art is architecture. Without our own architecture, we have no soul of our own civilization.”Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important contribution to architecture and to art and society is undoubtedly the Guggenheim Museum in New York. In this building, a history of people, time, art and architecture is United. In this modern building, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, art, science, nature, architecture and anthropology coexist peacefully. In this building, Wright pioneered the trends that architects continue to apply today. A true visionary, Wright was an architect of his time, far ahead of his time.
Frank Lloyd Wright was a visionary and arguable. He was famous for his beliefs and beliefs. His ideals, his words and his foresight continue to inspire all artists and craftsmen. If you look at modern buildings, don’t you see the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright? Which ones do you think have the most striking similarities?
