On 4/7/13 02:37 : , Nathan Wajsman wrote:
> There I fully agree. I too detest the copying of the past. I like modern
> architecture. The stuff we build now should look like it was built in the
> 21st century and not a lame attempt to replicate the 19th.
>
>
I'm a huge fan and student of Frank Lloyd Wright. This was something
that he fought against his entire career. His argument against the
American tendency to simply copy European/Greek/Roman architecture was
that there was nothing wrong with that architecture (for the most part)
in its own native environment. What we, as Americans, should strive for
is an architecture that's unique to us and speaks to the world from our
perspective. Nothing wrong with borrowing influences and melding them
in, which Wright did quite often (mostly from Japan and the Mayans), but
the result should be uniquely our own.
Unfortunately, that philosophy didn't win him may admirers in the
architectural community, many of whom were content to just copy old
Europe and cash the paycheck, instead of striving to create something fresh.
The Robie House, where I'm a docent, is a shining example of that. It
sits there, surrounded by old-style Italianate, Elizabethan, Gothic...
but it's totally modern. When it was built betwenen 1908 and 1910, it
was so far ahead of its time that it really shocked the neighborhood.
Even today, people have a hard time believing it's 102 years old - most
think it was built in the 1960's.
--
Paul Braun
Certified Music Junkie
Valparaiso, IN
"It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever." - David St. Hubbins
"Music washes from the soul the dust of everyday life" - Harlan Howard
--
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