Jersey Silk Mills was painted by Oscar Bluemner, born Frederick Julius Oskar Bluemner on June 21, 1867, in the small town of Prenzlau, located in the Brandenburg region of central Prussia.
Jun 08 2022
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic Architecture: Homes in Harmony with Nature
Speaking of great architects with June 8 birthdays, in addition to Bruce Goff, Frank Lloyd Wright also has a birthday today. Wright is one of America’s most influential architects, defining the Organic Architecture movement which incorporated natural designs into homes. He was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, on June 8, 1867.
Wright’s best known work of Organic Architecture is the 1939 Fallingwater House, located in Mill Run in southwest Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands. The house was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2019, along with seven other buildings under the category of “The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright,” including the architect’s famous Taliesin homes: his Taliesin home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and Taliesin West which served as his snowbird winter home and laboratory in Scottsdale, Arizona’s desert.
Here are all eight buildings representing “The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.”
Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania
Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois
Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago, Illinois
Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin
Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California
Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin
Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, New York
Jun 08 2022
The Architectural Genius of Bruce Goff
Architect Bruce Alonzo Goff was born in Alton, Kansas on June 8, 1904 and passed away on August 4, 1982. He was a brilliant child with a talent for drawing, and in 1915, his parents moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was later made an apprentice at the Tulsa architectural firm of Rush, Endacott and Rush by his father.
He became known for his totally unique style of architecture which delved into art deco, mid century modern, and organic themes. One of his most well-known works is Tulsa’s Boston Avenue Methodist Church, which he designed with his high school art teacher Adah Robinson as co-designer, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of art deco architecture in the United States.
He is also very well known for the incredible Bavinger House in Norman, Oklahoma, which featured rocky spirals and spires to elevate nature. Unfortunately, this amazing house had to be demolished because of storm damage. This might be my favorite house ever! I really love the intricate natural design of the Bavinger House.
Some more famous Goff buildings include the Sam and Ruth VanSickle Ford House at 404 S. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora, Illinois:
The Barby House in Tucson, Arizona:
The Al Struckus House that overlooks the San Fernando Valley:
And Shin’enKan, also known as the Joe D. Price House and Studio, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma:
He moved to Chicago in 1934 and taught at the Academy of Fine Arts there. In 1942 he began teaching at the University of Oklahoma, and by 1943 Goff was named chairman of the school. During this time, his creativity flourished and he built a large number of homes while developing his organic architecture style. After leaving the university, he went to work at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Bruce was influenced by the Prairie Style of his fellow architects, Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, as well as by the Catalan Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí, and the French composer Claude Debussy.
You can see more art deco buildings of Tulsa in my post on Downtown Tulsa’s Modern Architecture.
Jun 01 2022
Soviet Film Wednesday: Mirror
Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, and much like Norstein’s animation Tale of Tales, Mirror (Зеркало, Zerkalo) is another stream of consciousness film that strings together memories. The film is not meant to symbolize anything, but rather uses intuition as a means of expression. The main character, loosely based on Tarkovsky himself, is a dying poet contemplating his relationships with his wife, his mother, and his motherland, which creates a complex drama that drifts back and forth in time between his war-torn childhood and his adult life. The characters add a layer of complexity too, because several actors in the film play doubles; the main actress, Margarita Terekhova, plays both mother and wife. And to further elude things, the filming switches between color and monochrome.
Mirror is a very personal film for the director, as Tarkovsky also interlaces the poetry of his father in real life, Arseny Tarkovsky, into the film, and his wife also plays a character in Mirror. In his book Sculpting in Time, Tarkovsky revealed:
“As I began work on Mirror I found myself reflecting more and more that if you are serious about your work, then a film is not the next item in your career, it is an action which will affect the whole of your life. For I had made up my mind that in this film, for the first time, I would use the means of cinema to talk of all that was most precious to me, and do so directly, without playing any kinds of tricks.”
These personal touches and his unique filmmaking technique give the film a very intimate feel, which partly explains why Mirror is one of my favorite Tarkovsky films. Also because, like many of his films, every frame could be considered a work of art, and the way he layers movement on top of that is incredible. As an example of this, here is a few seconds of the beautiful levitation scene in Mirror.
The film is abundant with this kind of fascinating imagery and thoughtful drama. Mirror was made in 1975, was directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, written by Aleksandr Misharin and Andrei Tarkovsky, and stars Margarita Terekhova and Ignat Daniltsev.
May 28 2022
“It’s a Small World” Opened On This Day In Disneyland In 1966
Happy birthday, Small World! 🎈
The colorful “It’s a Small World” attraction first opened in Disneyland on this day, May 28, 1966, following its successful showing at the New York’s ’64-’65 World’s Fair UNICEF salute at the Pepsi-Cola pavilion.
In the opening ceremony, children from around the world in traditional costumes joined Walt Disney. Water that had been collected from every ocean, major rivers, and bodies of water from around the world was poured into Small World’s Seven Seaways canal by Walt Disney and some of the children.
The boat ride is a tribute to global unity, featuring over 300 animatronic dolls representing different countries dressed in traditional costumes from their various cultures. The ride is designed to be in line with the original artwork by Mary Blair, and it achieves this really well for the most part, however some of the newer characters feel like a bit of a contrast from the rest.
All of this is set to the famously happy Sherman Brothers’ tune “It’s A Small World” on an endless loop, which most people either love or hate. I happen to love it all.
May 04 2022
Soviet Film Wednesday: Children and Matches
Yuri Norstein gives us a clever public service message in this 1969 short cutout animation, Children and Matches.
May 02 2022
One to Watch: Satyajit Ray
Born into a talented Indian family, Satyajit Ray is not only regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, but he was also a screenwriter, author, music composer, illustrator, and calligrapher.
His most well known films include his debut self-financed film Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956), Apur Sansar, (The World of Apu) (1959), The Music Room (1958), The Big City (1963) and Charulata (1964).
“Not to have seen the cinema of Satyajit Ray means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.”
-Akira Kurosawa
Here is the rain scene from the stunningly beautiful Pather Panchali (1955), the first film directed by Satyajit Ray, who was born on this day May 2, 1921 in Kolkata, India.
Apr 26 2022
Peter Zumthor’s Zinc Mine Museum in Norway’s Allmannajuvet Gorge
Happy birthday to minimalist architect Peter Zumthor, born on this day April 26, 1943 in Basel, Switzerland.
Peter Zumthor designed a graceful, stilted building to tell the story of Norway’s Allmannajuvet Gorge Zinc Mine, which operated from 1881 to 1899. He also designed the nearby café for the museum with the same elegant grace.
Zumthor commented on the mine and the intention of the design: “The working conditions must have been terrible. You cannot stand upright in the tunnels, you have to go miles into the mountain, where it’s cold in summer and winter, so it gave us the idea to be modest in everything we did. Not poor, but modest.”
Here is the sleek, clean museum (above) and café (below) at Norway’s Allmannajuvet zinc mines, designed by Peter Zumthor. Photographs by Arne Espeland.
Apr 24 2022
Selected Classics: Gambit (1966)
Happy birthday to the illustrious Shirley MacLaine, born on this day April 24, 1934 in Richmond, Virginia.
In celebration, I’m sharing one of my favorite Shirley MacLaine classics, Gambit, starring the exceptional duo of MacLaine and Michael Caine.
Between the superb acting and the wonderful 1960’s design, I can’t help but be drawn to it. And with charismatic characters, suspense, clever dialogue, good humor, and beautiful wardrobes, this film really has everything you could want from a light 1960’s heist story.
Harry Dean (Michael Caine) concocts a lofty plan to steal priceless art from the world’s wealthiest man, Mr. Shahbandar, centered around enlisting the aid of a Hong Kong showgirl named Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine), who bears a striking resemblance to Shahbandar’s ex-wife. Dean believes that Shahbandar will be so enthralled with Chang’s resemblance to his former wife, that Chang can distract him while Dean pursues the theft of an ancient statue.
While the movie is enveloped in exotic settings, it was actually filmed entirely in California.
From beginning to end, the film captivates the audience. In the opening scene, Dean suggests his plan to Nicole, and the filmmakers have a unique way of keeping the audience guessing after watching a mysteriously silent leading lady for the first half hour. Much to my delight, it only got more interesting as the film progressed. This film was incredibly charming and an absolute pleasure to watch.
Apr 08 2022
The Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra
Born on this day April 8, 1892 in Vienna, renowned architect Richard Neutra, a prominent figure in the mid-century modern movement, was revered for his harmonious approach to architecture. His iconic designs, known for their balance between form and function, have influenced the architectural landscape. Particularly noteworthy is his masterpiece, the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs. This work of art exemplifies Neutra’s ability to seamlessly incorporate nature into his designs, creating a synergy between the built and natural environments.
Neutra’s methodology was grounded in the concept of biorealism, which posits that architectural design should be informed by the relationship between humans and their natural surroundings. The Kaufmann Desert House, set against the backdrop of Palm Springs’ rugged desert terrain, is a testament to this philosophy. Its unobtrusive horizontal lines and expansive glass panels blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, creating a fluid transition that echoes the vastness of the desert vista.
The design of the Kaufmann Desert House is an eloquent example of Neutra’s harmonious approach. Its open plan layout encourages natural ventilation and light penetration, while its materials – steel, glass, and native stone – mirror its desert surroundings. The result is a structure that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also responsive to its environment.
The nuanced balance achieved in the Kaufmann Desert House led to it becoming an icon of modernist architecture. It is a shining example of Neutra’s commitment to creating architectural designs that respect and enhance their natural surroundings. As such, Neutra’s work serves as a compelling reminder of the symbiotic relationship between architecture and nature, and the importance of maintaining this balance in design. His pioneering approach continues to inspire architects today, underscoring his enduring influence in the field of architecture.
Curated by Jennifer
