Jessica Galati Essays (671 words) - Architecture, Construction

Jessica Galati Assignment 1: Art Criticism October 8, 2013 Part One: "Where Modernity Frames Tradition" by Michael Zimmerman Jan. 9, 2013 NYT London is starting to become what one critic calls "Skyscrapers Gone Wild". Recently in London many new skyscrapers have been built and commissioned and they are not being received warmly. Their design follows a "rat race of extravagance" that has captivated most architects. They are being called "supersized, contorted, totally out of context" by the late critic Ada Louise Huxtable. This trend is something that the city of London had tried to stay uninfected, however without success. Kimmelman goes on to critique many of the newest buildings in London and their nicknames. We have buildings such as the gurken, the cheese grater, the can of ham, the walkie-talkie, and the shard, which has actually been getting reviews of being a widely successful design. The new Rothschild headquarters is no skyscraper, reaching 15 stories; however it is being remarked as more distinguished then say the walkie talkie in terms of design. The biggest idea was cutting a passage thought the site and raising the building to allow a view of the St. Stephens tower. The building is designed smooth and sleek, from the hand-carved oak cabinets on the interior and the lofted lobby. I agree strongly with the author's view of the modern monstrosity that is present day architecture. As a commuter to New York City I pass by multiple skyscrapers every day. I think every day that soon we'll have a skyline of incredibly gaudy spikes, curves, and corkscrews. Even the every day buildings are going to the extremes. For example Frank Ghery's 100 million dollar west side IAC building. This building consists of top and bottom frosted glass, walls twisting at odd angles, and a smaller scale of the bottom placed on top. This atrocious building has been described as "oddly tame". I am left speechless by this assessment. As a student of architecture I have designed some pretty zany buildings myself, not that I would ever commission even a single one of them because they would all be eyesores. I feel that soon all these towers will soon look outdated and very cheap. I hope we go through a rebirth of classical architecture soon or we may be surrounded by buildings straight out of cartoons. Part Two: Avery Coonly Playhouse: Triptych Window, 1912 by Frank Lloyd Wright This work by Frank Lloyd Wright was taken from the Avery Coonly Playhouse. This style follows Wright's love for "festive Americana" however it does have Japanese influence which was a large factor in much of Wrights work at this time period. During this time however most of the country, was designing in a prairie style, including the house this window was taken from. The window's geometric shapes and clean lines represent a whimsical and childish simplicity of the children who inhabited the playhouse it was placed in. representation of a party, with balloons, flags, and confetti. It was designed for a playhouse for children and Wright had not meant it to be taken out of its context because it would not be viewed the same. Wrights idea that that glass and the architecture were compliments of each other and that neither could stand on their own. He believed in the context of the building and the window was designed for the day-to-day living of the space he created it for, and no where else. Part Three: Being that Michael Kimmelman had much to say about architecture, I believe he would agree with my analysis of this window. I believe he would asses Wrights earlier works, their context, his ideas about architecture and design, and apply them to this piece. For example, the Light Screen by Frank Lloyd Wright was another piece of art he created in glass for a particular house, the Darwin D Martin house in Buffalo, New York. H again used an abstract mostly linear pattern however using a lush and iridescent color screen considering the inhabitants of this building. As opposed to the playhouse for children and its window, this buildings inhabitants are adults and so the pattern is not as whimsical. Again the window is not meant to be taken out of context like in the Triptych window.