"Plagued by Fire" review
That cover photo of a very elderly Wright may not be flattering, but it's damn humanizing. The "Fire" book mentions a stroke Wright had and his face in this photo has a bit of that look. I'm reminded of Wright's grandson's recollection (also in the book) of how small Wright's body seemed after his death.
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Roderick Grant
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- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
That's his 1957 passport photo.SDR wrote:How about this for an unfortunate cover photo:
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Fr ... frontcover
Must be one of the last photos ? Identified by the publisher only as "Wisconsin Historical Society, WHi 33104"
S
Docent, Hollyhock House - Hollywood, CA
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
Humble student of the Master
"Youth is a circumstance you can't do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old." - Frank Lloyd Wright
That's interesting. Why would a full-torso photo be taken for a passport, I wonder. He certainly looks beat.
Very late photos show a somewhat puffy complexion. These are almost the only photos that show a weary or defeated person.
Mr Wright may have had more photos taken over his lifetime than anyone other than an entertainment personality. And they show such a wide range of appearance, if not of expression . . .?
S
Very late photos show a somewhat puffy complexion. These are almost the only photos that show a weary or defeated person.
Mr Wright may have had more photos taken over his lifetime than anyone other than an entertainment personality. And they show such a wide range of appearance, if not of expression . . .?
S
Quite coincidentally, Eric O'Malley provides, in today's Wright Society -- Issue 176, yet another previously
obscure portrait of Mr Wright, one that I find appealing for its sense of immediacy: the man seems to look
us in the eye, perhaps about to speak ?
Thank you, Eric ! I wonder where this photo has been seen previously. Any guesses as to his age, here ?
S
obscure portrait of Mr Wright, one that I find appealing for its sense of immediacy: the man seems to look
us in the eye, perhaps about to speak ?
Thank you, Eric ! I wonder where this photo has been seen previously. Any guesses as to his age, here ?
S
"Wright had a breathtaking eye for proportion and a robust interest in 20th-century building technology. He had an artist’s appreciation for materials, their color ranges, the interior and exterior lighting of surfaces and the effects of weathering."
We don't often get a fresh eye on the subject of our interest, Mr Wright and his work; it's a pleasure to fine new words for a familiar talent.
S
We don't often get a fresh eye on the subject of our interest, Mr Wright and his work; it's a pleasure to fine new words for a familiar talent.
S
I think Wright gets a bad rap as an egotist. I just think he was correct on so many things that it's impossible to come across as anything but an egotist. Just because he had excellent creative skills, far beyond any other architect of recent centuries, doesn't mean that he should be blamed for it. Do we call a working clock egotistical because it proudly keeps accurate time?
Yes; that would have been his line, if he had thought of it.
Architects and like-minded thinkers would prefer to view a talent like Wright's as housed within an equally exquisite human being. Art history must be
replete with accounts of wonderful talent possessed by otherwise unremarkable men and women; there's no natural (i.e., anthropological or psychological)
law that stipulates that all of the parts of a personality be equally above reproach.
S
Architects and like-minded thinkers would prefer to view a talent like Wright's as housed within an equally exquisite human being. Art history must be
replete with accounts of wonderful talent possessed by otherwise unremarkable men and women; there's no natural (i.e., anthropological or psychological)
law that stipulates that all of the parts of a personality be equally above reproach.
S
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 10137
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
I wonder if persons who are extremely smart and gifted find most of the people they have to contend with who are of a lower level of intelligence tiresome and boring. Perhaps that is one aspect that makes them (some of them, at least) less than amicable. I would be nervous if I ever were to end up in conversation with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, for instance, even though he is known to be a swell fellow.
Just finished. What a fantastic telling. Liked the tone and presentation. Well researched and documented. Learned a lot. Might incorporate some into my tours @ T-W. Other comments: Ida Heller, Beulah Boynton, speculation but quite interesting. Miriam Noel, more than I knew and still I just struggle to make sense of that relationship ( maybe desperate men do desperate things). The Imperial commission, $250K = $3.7 million in 2019 - where did ALL THAT MONEY GO? Wm. Carey a sad story, now more sad due to Anna's mental issues. Mamah - a recounting more horrible than I ever imagined. Olga - a quick review, but someday more to come. I have my own theory. Svetlana, never knew the background on the tragic accident. And the fires, forgot about Iovana's wedding and some of the others unknown. Learned a new word: synecdoche. PLUS, anyone who quotes James Agee or Walker Evans is ok, by me. After 47 years of my own personal FLW mania - the last sentence is the most powerful : "You can never get to the end of the knowing". Outstanding Work.
Just finished. What a fantastic telling. Liked the tone and presentation. Well researched and documented. Learned a lot. Might incorporate some into my tours @ T-W. Other comments: Ida Heller, Beulah Boynton, speculation but quite interesting. Miriam Noel, more than I knew and still I just struggle to make sense of that relationship ( maybe desperate men do desperate things). The Imperial commission, $250K = $3.7 million in 2019 - where did ALL THAT MONEY GO? Wm. Carey a sad story, now more sad due to Anna's mental issues. Mamah - a recounting more horrible than I ever imagined. Olga - a quick review, but someday more to come. I have my own theory. Svetlana, never knew the background on the tragic accident. And the fires, forgot about Iovana's wedding and some of the others unknown. Learned a new word: synecdoche. PLUS, anyone who quotes James Agee or Walker Evans is ok, by me. After 47 years of my own personal FLW mania - the last sentence is the most powerful : "You can never get to the end of the knowing". Outstanding Work.