Frank Lloyd Wright Flashcards
Note some facts about Frank Lloyd Wright
Spent a period with Adler and Sullivan in the early 1890s - they inspired the work of his earlier career - the transformation of industrial technique into art
Oscillated between the authority of classical order and the vitality of asymmetrical form.
What are the main characteristics of the Prairie Style?
Low pitched roof open ground floor plan in horizontal format low bounding walls low profile vertical chimneys internal height volumes
Name and describe one of Wrights famous Prairie Houses.
The Robie House. Chicago. 1909.
It was a home and studio.
It was one of the last of his Prairie School houses
It is considered as the quintessential example of wrights Prairie Style and the ‘measuring stick’ against which all other Prairie school buildings are compared.
What piece of writing did Wright write in 1901?
“The Art and Craft of the Machine”
He recognised it was the destiny of the machine to bring about a profound change in the nature of civilisation.
His initial reaction was to adapt the machine to the creation of high level craft culture.
Why did Wright eventually abandon his Prairie Style?
Because he was forced by the economy to recognise the limits of traditional material and construction.
What did Wright go onto become ‘obsessed’ with after he moved on from the Prairie Style?
Glass.
Through a combination of reinforced concrete and glass he created a prismatic, faceted architecture whose glass exterior conveyed an illusion of total weightlessness.
What Famous Kahn lecture is Wright most famous for?
“Style in Industry” (1930)
First occasion that Wright (the master of masonry) acclaimed glass as the modern material for excellence.
Explain the significance of Wrights, “The Disappearing City”
It was written in 1932.
First book on city planning
Written on the completion of:
Broadacre City Project. 1958.
Wright declared that the future city will be everywhere and nowhere
he wanted a new system of dispersed land settlement established.
