Frank Lloyd Wright is known to be one of the most influential architects of the last century together with Le Corbusier and the Finnish artist Alvar Aalto.
Who was Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (Richland Center, June 8, 1867 – Phoenix, April 9, 1959) was an American architect and urban planner who grew up with his parents and moved numerous times during his childhood carrying on a love and hate relationship with his family.
The school is not its main goal but he manages to find his calling when he reads two books on architecture.
He then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin for studying engineering and subsequently began to work in the Silsbee studio and later in that of L.Sullivan.
Family events and an adolescence strongly marked by the divorce of his parents led him to develop projects based on concept of unity and family.
The early years and architectural influences
During the first years of work it remains particularly impressed by Japanese architecture which becomes central to its production. He becomes so passionate that he is one of the collectors with the most Japanese prints and even writes a book on the subject.
His curious spirit also leads him to live for one period in Europe together with his family but on their return a tragic event marks his life. In fact, the two sons of the architect and his wife are killed, leading him to the final decision to leave the United States to move to Japan and open a studio in Tokyo. Here he is also received with enthusiasm by the Emperor who leads him to achieve great fame.
The artistic identity and the most famous works
In 1936 he made his most famous work: Fallingwater, also known as the “House on the waterfall”. The project takes place near Mill Run, Pennsylvania and promotes the idea why man and nature can find a balance that leads them to live in harmony. Some artificial elements are thus integrated into what is the natural landscape through a modern technique.
Among his works are also remembered The Prairie House which combines modern aesthetics with more traditional technology becoming a distinctive feature of the architect’s style. During the Japanese phase he also made the well known Imperial Hotel in Tokyo which will be modified in 1968 but which until then was remembered as one of his best works.