We have long been fans of the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and never miss a chance to see one of his masterpieces. We know his brilliance was matched by his ego, and he had numerous other qualities that it would be unwise to emulate. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a visit yesterday to Taliesin West, a house that he began when he was 70 years old.
Speaking of brilliance, it was not one of our wiser decisions to schedule a tour on the hottest day of this hot week at 2:00 in the afternoon. And our guide seemed to think the group would not remember anything unless she repeated it several times so we were often out in the hot sun longer than necessary. But they do provide loaner umbrellas, and parts of the tour were inside, giving us a chance to not only cool off, but also sit down.
One of the unique characteristics of this house compared to the others we've seen is the extensive use of translucent white ceiling panels which filter the desert sun. According to the guide (several times), this idea came from his first months on the site when he and wife #3 camped in white canvas tents and he became enamored with the quality of light that came through the canvas.
As I said, he was known for his ego, and many of his projects were somewhat lacking in building quality. But his use of shadow, light, and natural building materials intrigues us and, although the tour is expensive, we felt it was a worthwhile stop.
As I said, he was known for his ego, and many of his projects were somewhat lacking in building quality. But his use of shadow, light, and natural building materials intrigues us and, although the tour is expensive, we felt it was a worthwhile stop.
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