Part 1 - Anne Whiston Spirn

CONTI;NT5
I=RAHK LLOYD WRIGI-lT aUARURLY
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Fal2000
PubllsIMd by The Fr_ lloyd Wright FCMldatIcMI
T,llic"ln Wt'l. Sc'Oll cl.1l .I\Z 8 261
ldilOr: ULCllt luea,
i"ant FdilClr: Dan f1ilenc
Copyedilor: Alice Urban
De~iltner: Robert Miller
A~
rrank Lloyd Wright Foundation
cw: Tr a
lIr
Jlunt
Board of Trustees
Hdmilron 'vkR,le Ill, Chdirm,ln. I"ll',ldi'c' Valle, AI
Dr. II. ichob\ luller III, F and JlrC\idcllI
Hh Man,1 c.a,ey. ScOlbd,lle. Z
I. I homa, <:'l'Cy, ~c()md,dc, AZ
DavId F. DodA. omJale. AI
G,lly K. Ilcrbl'f/;cI, P,lr.lchl" V.11I,'}, AI
Jeanlle LlIld Ilerbergel. Parudlle Valley, I\Z
1)'lVld O. Ju'tlce. Oak I'ilrk, II
Charle Monroorh, Sprmll Grrl'l1. WI
linCll.l lIou,ton 'vI ntoorh, 'ott,J,lle, I
(,corlle A. NcI'oll. \IJdi n, WI
Sccphen emllll,. '1l[r-d,lIe, Al
"orr Wllh,lm I' r'r en, ChIC,lAO, II
IIMold I'n ~. I JltunJ Ika h. A
muld Ro). . rr..dalc, Al
10.111 ~Illllh, W.lllullgwn. D.C.
Hke Vorlllfclde, Sc<llr,tble, AI
~11 I loyd ~ np,hr• .\l.llihll, ( A
.
TolItsil CouncI
Frank Lloyd Wright: ['hite t f and cape (Part 11)
by A nne Wlhi t n pirn
The ummel' 2000 issue of the
4
uarrerly featured Part I f ' holar Anne
Whiston /Jim's essay which included a detailed relJorf of the develo/Jment of
the Taliesin land cape in pring
reen Wis onsin. This i u
ontinues with
an analysis of the Taliesin West landscape and further exploration of Wright's
principles of landscape design.
Book
U7
26
Wright ites! 'vent Information.................................. 0
Ir nw
I I.lmld Pnce, (llilIrm.lIl, Ltllllna Be,lch. CA
A.lmn •. (.rec'n, an l'l.ln"",o, C.A
1.l17ahcrh Wnl\hr Inl\r,thanl, C.olorado "pnnA. CO
Il,ll1lilron I\IcRJ~.I'M.tdl c' Valley, AI
ThOIl1>I' Mon.lglull, Anll Arbur. MI
r.htholcl Riddle, Stllll,d.de, A7
DlllI,lld ~ehnher!\. Okel1lo,. M I
VI'rnon <'wahatk, I'hocnix, AI
hillM r,tr~l, N w Yllrk, NY
r.I.IC Sue Talley, Wash ill '100, D.
Vi rill 111 ,1 Ullm.tn, Phoclllx. 7
d- n Apprentice helter
ttl'
1 ueas. Director of f lernal (fair
The I'rdllk J.!"yd Wfn/(iJ/ QI/dr/rrl)'
" pllhli,hc'd fOllr nm .. n y,',lr
III J.1I11l.1ry, pril. luly ,lI1d 0 roher.
The QlklT/l'Tly i, ,J memher I>clleht for the
l·olllld,t!Ion·' 'lipport Ilmup',
I he I r.lnk I 10}'d Wnllhr ,'OClaTIOn
1he Fr.lnk lloyd WriAhr ~(lCl ry
Fo !lnd our more ab<lUI mell1bel1>hlp tUllldtl:
by had ornette............................................. 2
The Fr_ lloyd WrigIIt FOUIllIatIon
hlwl,ll Afr.lir, Office
VER PH T : The el1tran e t the main c01llplex of bllildings at Taliesin West.
ott dol, Arizona, ca. 1970. Pholo © Frank Lloyd Wright FOlllldatiol1.
T,lhe'lIl We,t
5comdale. AI.. 85261·44JO
(480) 860 2700
\\ ww.fr.lnklloydwnllht.orl\
lOOl) Thc FIJnk I loyd Wright hllll1d'llion
II
A
I(
I
PA T II
B An11 Whi t
11
'pirn
n J, nunry 2
5,
hank II d right, along
\i ith his wife, r\
daughters ,1I1d a group 0 more
rhan [\ em I • ppr 'nti cs-rhirry pc pie
to II-I ,H] J drafling calle. rhe parriall . n tru t J Broadacre it
model and c. nn J fnm Jnd \'cgcLahl
n. nC\ red tru k and 't f 0 th
ounrr t Arizona. right \ • nred to
c. J c the hac h weather of hi nari e
n in, hut h \:l I 0 returmn
t a land h had di ( cred during
th I 1 ~, .1 hlnd th, I pr vided new
hOrlwn , b th lit 'fi,1I and Igurari el .
B late I 7 right would pur has
land in \' Iw' n \ fl( rrhe<l I 'OllSdal,
ril na an I begin 'Oil tructi n on
alicin 'V cst a . hi Wll1rer h m , rudio,
and architectural C:lmpu .
''''dICSIII \
est, 'col/selL/Ie.
rlZWW,
ca,
19-10, I.arge IlIIlge, <D 1edro E. '/lerrer;
top photo, by M
mOil
Ktll1(Jllse. fllset,
hOlik l/o)lIt \' right ill /]i5 offiCI: It
Tolie ill \ est, ca. 19)'), courtesy Frollk
/'/0 /d WriR'Jt
rchive.
L
o
y
D
w
I G· 1-1
T
••
II
-A: catitla. rhon. iew of 111 ill entrance witl) sample blocks 011 left, 1929.
t
and .. ith
II th
ith u
r1zona
"
m fr
ill
the
pr tan-
de -
twic
and f
fi d ea h < nd k pl hi per eption
fr h. P rhap hi tcnden
to
romami iz h lh \
n ouragcd h
p riods of ab n and the fact that
he p nr th m t plea am ea on in
a h, did n t . mend ith the hal' h
~ i on in .. im r r tOrrid
rizona
umm r. Pr grc i i , rh f\ 0
ali in, in rhe relation hip between
building and I nd ap, ame to
r " mble umm r lta and \ inrer
amp rather lhan year-r und
dwellin .
right r turn d to b th ea h ar
full f id a for hange, izing
afre. h th t k f I' hapin building
and gal'd 11 : "Ir wa pand moniLUll
for Iw w>ek -t aring ut wall
I' bllildin 1 " I '
all d Hrll e B1' ok
Pf i f r. h built land ap of the
two Talie ins ar imilar yet different;
tru tured by imiJar principle but
taking different hape, ach in diaI gu with the other and with it
wn I. nd cap. D spit all the
change over the years building and
garden at Talie in are rooted in the
first half of Wright' career, fi cd by
foundation that urvivcd u c ,sive
fires and dcmolition , while Tali .in
W t repr ent a n w charter in his
work. Brucc Br k Pf iff r dir t r
of th Frank LI yd Wri ht AI hiv
at Tali in W t, r m mber when
the t n mark r in rib d with the
w rd "Tali in We t" wa et up
n ar th enrran e. Wright poinred to
th name "Talie in" molded into the
wall of the parking ar a oppo ite" hat' th 10k," he aid, th n
pointed to the new mark r-" And
that' the chapter.'
By identifying Tali in a a book
and th pia
h cam to all
Talie in North and Taliesin We't a
chapt r , Wri -ht under ored the
rol of Talie in a te t with purpo eful pI t and tbe two pIa e assay
elaborating similar th mc . Tog th r,
the Talie ins embody in built form
Wright's idca n natur and lond-
II
7-A: Plan ft r catilla, Arizona, hy
Frank Lloyd Wright, 1 29. Drawing ©
Frank Lloyd Wright fOll/ldati /I.
catilla, AriZOl/a. View from gamge,
1929. catilla images courtesy Frank
LI yd Wright Archives.
7-B:
II
8-A & 8-B: "an Marco ·in-the-De ert,
handler, Arizona, 1928. ite plan,
above, (8A) and aerial per pective.
below, (8H). hank Uoyd Wright,
architect.
cape. They are villas a
holar
James Ackerman has defined the
type, di tinguished from farm or
ranches by , the inten c pro rammaric
inve tm nr of ideolo ical goal. ...
roorcd in th
nrra r of Olmrr and
city, in that th virtue and d light
of rhe one are pr
nt d a th
antithc e f the vice and c
of
thc orh r." Th Tali sin pr l1t in
f <
tangibl f rm Wright' id a
w rid made better by de'ign. They
ar th built vcr ion of hi utopian
t
t
Disappearing ity, When
Democracy Builds, and The Livillg
ity. As villa the Talie in belong to
a lradition lhousands of years old where
dw lIing i. <imlillan ow.1 (un Ii n01, rica ural I , nnd id ologi ai,
whu l:1nd ap is I11b Iii hed lO
e pre id 0 of nOlur and humnnily.
Wright s Wilderness
II
Years~
rank Lloyd Wri rht 'pent many
m nths
the 1920s in the dry landaliforni, ' haparml and
ape
Ariz na d _crt. For anyone who ha
p III hi r her life in f reSl biom ,
wil h . oft light filler d lhrough humid. ir
and I ':lV ., with p n 'y gr und cloak d
in lush gre '11 growth, II" de rt i hocking: bright ry 'talline Ii ht, but ab v
all th c1ariry an I ·tark 'impli 'iry of land.. pc trll ture r vealed. t I' Wright,
for whom strucrure wa a pu< ion,
the Arizona des rr wa a revelation.
A he rore in 1940 in Ari olla
lfiglnuay., 'W fund Par di ."
Thi 192 peri d was piVOl:11 for
lh r hi ·t-Wrighl' "will rn
y'ar "a Re ner l3anhall1 called them.
Wright" designs from J LI on for
<
his alie in estate in Wis on. in had
prepared th round f r the Inrg - cal
land apcpropo~al feh J920thal promplcd hi fir l encount r - with
the desert: A.M. John 'on" 'omp lind
n . r Dealh Vall y, ,Iif rni" and
AI, onder]. handler's an Mar os
I'
rr in th onor, n De err outhea·t f Phoeni Ariz no. Though
they were never bu iIt Wrigh t In l r
adapted many a" e r. f th
prp al t Tali. in W .1. F I' e ;1 111 pi ,
in his drawing f I' an M r' '-Inth -D rt (fig. 9-A & 9-B), Wri Iht
pia d lh builling' and garden' n
9- & 9-13: A.M. JOhllSOl1 Desert 0/1/pOI/lid. rapeuine 011 Oil, Ili(orni I.
, ill' plal/. abov(!/Iop, alld aerial perslJectiue, abolle, cn. I 4. Frallk Lloyd
WriglJI, Irchil 'cl. All ill/age' Ihes page
Frallk Lloyd Wright f IIl1dati II.
9- : Taliesill, near
pring rew,
Wisconsill. Site pI 11/, /928. Frank Lloyd
Wright, architect.
10·A: Taliesin West
cottsdale
Arizolla, and surr tlnding desert, seen
from atop m tlntahl, ca. 1940. tate
Historical ociety of Wisconsin, HOlVe
allecti 11. Whi (HollJe) TSPI.
a prowlik platform looking out v r
th Jand ape and I t the d ert come
right up to th ba e of the retaining
wall, ju tapo ing th ultivated and
the wild much a he later did at
Talie in We t and had done already
at Taliesin. his approach wa trikingly diff r nt from th norm of
wnll d·in garden in pani hiM ori h
tyl or th irrigat d
ra y
lawn ancl r v
f tr
of the
'pastorLl r ort.
Building ancl living at
atilla, the
de ert camp Wright built in 1929
near the propo ed handler, Arizon2
ite of an Marcos-in-the-Desert,
w r eminal
p rienc of r nt
per ona1 . ignificance though the
whole epi 0 e la ted only a few
month' from January to May. fn
" reedom," book three of An
Autobiography Wright turned from
r fie tion on the past and pre ent t
speculntion on the future. Hc de crib d
atilla in a pirit of e item nt and
optimi 111 a a "pr liminary rudy,'
'th fir t f an 'Ariz na typ .'"
R yn r Banham later di eroed in
atilla "an ir of fr hn . and n w
invention u 'ually a ~"uciated with the
beginning of an ar hit ct' career"
remarkable in a man of sixty, and
ranked it as one of rh great personal
tatements in twentieth-century archit ctLir (fig. 6·A, 7-A & 7-B). Bunham
r ard d catilla a a" econd b innin " to Wright' are r. Tr i no
wonder he lat r made Arizona hi
e ond hom
that he oriented
important ight line at alie in We t
to repeatedly draw the eye to outh
Mountain (and thu
th· it of
catilla n it
Lith rn I p ).
atilla mark d th ri and renewal
of Wright, wh wr te t hi son,
J hn, "Ph eni em t be the name
frmetu."
atilla i' an e entiallink b tw en
Talie in (or" aliesin North," a
Wright mctimes ailed it) and th
more permanent desert outpo t. h
built later at Talie in We t. The
structures of catilla like tho' at
Talie in mbraced a hilltop with a
"camp fir "-lik tn c a circle-iu t
below the rown (fig. 7-B). Th
endo ed hilltop-like the hill gnrden
at Talie in-provid d a pro pe t of
th
llrrollnding landscape from
within a prate ted en Inv and gay
a "measure of privacy" to the qLl< rt r
down, lop . Bedrooms, livin room
dining room, office, and euclio were
small. tru tLir S, om fouped at
right angl
to on anoth r like
miniature vcr ion of h 111< in wings
t Talie in all it d m r or les
along the ontOllr, IUU h like the
r lation of building to hill at Taliesin
(fi . 7-A). Unlike the earliest ver ion
of Talie in however where a ingle
orthogonal (right-angled) grid organized the layout of building., ourt.
and garden, two grid stru cured rhe
ite plan of catilla. Wright off t
the grids fr m on anoth r by 120
Ie rce. in re p n to rhe V- haped
hilltop, an angle h aloe pre 'ed in
the ea t em braci ng the cam pfi reo
Th' individual unit were aligned
a I ng the line of the'e two grids,
fore hadowing the strategy he developed further at Talie in West eight
yea r later.
Until the 1920 Wright' landscape camp irian w r d minated
by a ingl
rrhogon. I grid. Thi
SOI11 rime I d to probl m on steeply
lopin
r irregularly haped terrain,
in the gridd d gardens at Talie in.
l1-A: Talie in West, J 940, looking
south toward the drafthtg stl/dio. The
site i an integrated mplex of buildings, c urtyards, mId gardens afigned,
notched, alld knit inlO Ihe landscape;
wafls cut inlO, extend above, reach llt
to the il1lrnediate terrain. Photo <rl
Pedro E. uerrero.
Working in ample topography on
larg landscape amp iti n in the
1920 , Wright gradually adopted
tructural trategie rn re ppropriate to sloping, irregular terrain with
views in vari u dir ction . At th
Johnson desert ompound (fig. 9-A),
for example h or aoiz d the J 924
plan with everal a es aligned in
r p n to terrain and view, a
trategy he al'o used in a design for
the Nakoma
untry lub and
employed again four year later at
n Mar os-in-the-D crt (fi . 8-B).
By the time h drew the J 925 ·ite
plan for vineyard ard n and farm
buildings at Talie in (fig. 9- ),
Wright had ali ned them with a new
grid oriented perp ndicular to the
line of the Jope, at a forty-fiv
d ree angle to the grid of the earli r
plan. At catilla, when Wright overlaid two grids ill a tru tural ge m try
d rived from the terrain h brought
to resolution idea with which he
had been workin thr ugh out the
1920 and owed the e d that would
come to fruition in Taliesin West.
CCPioneer" in Paradise Valley
Tn Arizona Wrighr wa a "pi neer' -reenacting the I 0
perien e of his moth r' family in the
II
'111 inhabiting the
two places I Wisconsin
and Arizona], you learn.
You have the open book
ofnature. On the one page
you have efflorescence,
richness, ease, what comes
of great . .. well I
suppose actually it's a
form of decay. Perhaps
this vegetation that grows
all over so abundantly
is a form of mold that
comes upon more accurate elements-the stone
foundation of things.
But when you get out here,
you re back to the
foundation. "
-Frank Lloyd Wright,
Hi Living Voice, 1954
n in- etdin
ecrned rem t
dirt rrack, rhe
emile. 3\
um,in
"\ve
the
at
on
pan r3ml
VI w
/2- : Tall('
'/II
0 er
\Ve t.
.
all
dIe.
rizona. . Ite pt.:lII. ca. / -12. IIlmage
the e page <D J r Ilk J loyd \ fight
FOl/udallwl.
inl grar d
olin ard ,
p rh .lOd mo r f the huildlng (rudl( • dining f() m. kiva. the right'
li\ing quarter) are, ligned 31 ng a
Sir, i ,ht lin Ih, I f rm the pine f
Ihe
m,,1 . Wrighl -on i Icred Ih
orienmri n r lhi pille care lilly; an
ad drawing ~hO\ . a diffl:rent orimati n ~ ilh Ih' pre ent ont: dr, wn
) cr ir. Th· pine i aligned 0 that
th w. II (th . building.. that Ime it
r ·jH b th morl1lngun .tnd atrern n light, and 0 that nd l the
main path point I di l,lIH I nd
f I'm . Thi' pIn, mor 'ov r i not
an i alated a is but i- 'mb dd'd
witbin rw grids a' an mh g nal
line in one grid ilnd n di. gon:ll in lh
rher. IIlh· di parar p rr
the
pia e arc held \ lthin the I. llIee
,tru rur mm d b rh
1\\
inrers cling grid...
111
emenr
Ihrough T.lie in
. t lig and la
along rhe lin of the r~ 0 inrerlo -king
grid. Thi. trllctllr
(pinc and
grid - h. 3 0111111 Jared -han ing
need and
I .;i '·r. ble e 'pansion
rei. rivel
ra c ull
vcr th p,l r
half nwr' (fl . 12- ).
Building. ' rden • path. Jnd
p.ui an: et Into th lop 10 orne
III
-1\: Ta!JeslI/ \ e ·t, IJO/llltIg /1ergoll lIlId
hed illt -It pc. e.lrl)' 1940 ,
C /lrt /lot
pI
,devared n il pl. r(emu abO'l:
rhe uert in rh r (fj~. I - ). 1hl
I a 1.lnd alll: m ant to be II alk·d
through. ppr iI hing LInd 010 ing
rhr llIgh rhl: omp!' al ng rhe pill',
you enrer ttl grade, de tend :1 r 'w
'rep, rurn and turn again, as' nd,
rurn dm n th' main p th , Ilh a \ all
ar h uldcr height our e. c iu t
abO' ' lit· Ie el (th rCl.lin d lop.
,0 tnll ,hr and ou em rg r grJd
• gain; turnll1g n ht through I g ia,
ou Ie I:cnd om a pl.nf rm elevated
nbo c rhe d ~ert (lor. . In ;1
,lnpane!>' siroll gnrden, ou tllrn
repeated I , our e e dr. wn ro th·
"borroll 'd " iCIi f I ndlll rk' In
rh disl,lnr land' ap . At T lie in
~ cst,
lur ye i dir r d again and
a Jin t( ourh 1 unmin ,1nd thc ItC
'<lrilla n ir. far id;
right
inc rporarc I landmarb of per nal
,h hod In rhe Jon !>
igni 1 on
V,lIey
ilh R meo ,nd Juliet,
Midw y Ilill, Br n Mawr, Bryn
an I :lnd Bryn Ba h. P. Itern of
life and lilIH.J ' pc mcrg ov r tim
rep 'atl'd hurtling aloll' Tillie in's
path \ caves u into th land ap,
illllll Jian: Jnd Ji talll.
righr plann d rhi "tru'ture or
full from rhe outs 'r, then builr ir
gradll. II.
mv y and gr dillg pl. II
o about 19 with mcri ul u Iy ill-
11 B: la[,e tIl \'I! I, radl1lg /JIm. ca.
191 • ullth mctlCIIlolI I)' {'al IIlaled
pUI c1cLlalic}//
10
/IIdc Ihe 11 CI! S r
r
dl ' ,illg Gild (iI/mg. The drnll'illf{ gWl!s a
IHI! 'Isa PI IlIrl!
how WTlghl hal)ed
IIJe fwd 'CUI)I!.
or
III
14-A: Taliesht W'st, prow garden,
looki71g (I' 111 sunken garden to terrace,
garden r 0111, and cove, early /940s.
Note how massed desert plat/ts and
walls f desert masonry "capture" the
hill beyond-covered with similar 1'Ocks
and plants-as borrowed scenery.
tate Historical ociety o( Wisconsin,
IT we allection, Whi (H we) T P .
Right apprentices onstructing a wall,
/940. Ph to © Pedro E. Guerrero.
harp-edged stone round d '
gg " from thc wa he -were t in a
r y matri of con rete made fr m
d rt and t form the wall, of platf nn and truerure. he ro k float
in thi matri , heir positioning tarrling in it dynami m unrclated to
th po itioning n would c pcet in a
wall prompting one t wondcr about
th pro e e of their f rmati n.
Wright said, "H re in Ariz n<, n i
mu h 10 r to the ata Iy m." It i
ju t thi
n,c of catacly m that the
wall
nv y (fig. 14-A).
Ry 1942 h prow garden was
built. Th plant f th garden were
tho e of the urrounding d .err, ma. cd
a ingle p i and r ord rcd in
planter and b d f angular hap .
Yucca filled a large d n t t th
pool in thc unken part f th prow
g, rdcn and pri kl y pear an th r
plant r (fig. 14-A). taghorn lined
th path t th ba c of the pergola
and r t ining wall b hind the tudio
and a III < of pri kly pcar nc t t
the petroglyph ne r Wright' oHi
marked an ther "d t' , long th linc
of that axi. he acti w r tranplantcd from th de ·ert· ph t raph
h w Wright directing appr nti e
m ving a hug aguaro.
Th pr w ga rd n i the ounterpart of b th hill gard n and cantil v red t rra
at Tali in (built
the 'ame year a rh initial n tru tion of aliesin W t). D rt and
gard n meet at the wall and th
vicw i elevated, a in hillt p ,rd n
and tcrra . hcrc, de ert wild en
n
urr unded the garden n t
fcrtilc field . Thc garden i an oa i
op n to th d rt jutting out into it
(fig. lO-A). Til wall doc not
en 10 e the a i but mark a
boundary inviting compari on
b twc n the dome ti at d and thc
wild, thc human-built arden and
what Wright called "a rand ard n
th lik f which in 'h er eauty f
rea h, pa
and pattern does nor
e it ... in th w rid."
Nature, Landscape and
Frank loyd Wright's Principles
of andscape Design
Ftank loyd Wright rever d natur ,
not land ap, and hi' u of the twO
word wa di tin rly different. When
Wright pok of nature, h poke of
rincipl ,of authority for archite rural ~ rm, and hi word w re ab tra t.
H rar Iy m nri n d land capc;
wh n h did d rib a land ap, hi
langua f u d up n r urr nt f atures or pattern rath r than idi ynratic variable. The peculiarities fa
local land cape held no intere t for
him; he wrote, f r e ampl of the
prairic, as an abstra t ideal not a
prairi . H intcrpreted the prairie a
a horizontal plain, cl11pha izing it
flame (whil, in fact, mo t prairi
lam!'cap ha ear lIing top graphy)
and din d mo t f hi 'prairi
tyle' hou e for 'it that w r orig-
inally fore ted or in th tran iti n
zone between fore t and prairi .
Wright u ed the word' natur " in
everal en'e: a e sential quality,
material reality and divine force. H
often moved from one en e of thc
word to another without transiti n.
In hi arly writing, he empha iz d
th fir t two en c -e ential quality
nd matcrial rcality; in later year thc
111 taphy i al mcr d 111 rc
pli irly.
In 1.9 J 2 h wrOtc that by aturc, h
did not m an 'th t utward a pe t
that 'trik the ey a n vi ual imag
of a enc or trike th gr un I la
of a amera, but that inn r harm ny
whi h penetrate th outwnrd f rm ...
and i. it dctcrminjn haracter; thnt
quality in th thing ... that i it ignifi ancc and it Lif f r u -what Plato
II d ... th 'tcrnal idca of thc thing.'"
T
l11/set terrace 0111 ide ' rdell room
looking south, I 40. Photo © Pedro .
'llerrero.
II
I allcsin \' e t
Idl1d 'Cdpe 1II/!'lIIt to
S 111 a } 1f1anl' e
tllm repeulL·dl)·. '(Jllr
IS <1
be It'a/h'd throllgb.
'Imll ~<1rden. )'011
drdltln f() II l! "/wrrml'ed" l'iew of
/ond1lllrb III II e cll'lanl IOl1d'cope.
PInHo IJeloL/', rIghi, 1/Iei top %ppo,
sill' page Cd. 1940 11), Br'ld . lorrer,
Bol/ol/I IIppo'lle pu~e by Roberl
I '.
ollrle, ' I-rol1k 110 III \\In ,hi
e)'I'
re/m'l! .
II
L:II r ill h~
h Caplt.1lil d th v ord narure:
'" ;llure should he p 'lIed \ ith .1
c. pm'll' • nor be II
d
but b ',lI e all rhat ,
an learn of
od e will I am fr m the body 0
01, whi h we all ::lture." fhis
rem:Hk i, pure Emerson, who had
written imilar w rd III re rhan 1 0
y or
nrli r: "The n ble r mini lr}
n, rur i 10 tand a the. pparltlon
f ; d." To C1,ht nawr held rh'
k I
the right ordermg 0 human
lif "; nnture \ as an I e.l, "an origin. I
ur'
inspirari n" fr m , hi h r I
raft art and ivilizati n. right saw
tip ,rrist-him.c1f, f( r . dlllpi - . s
11. rure's proph'l O'lnd an :IS. moral
f r e , ho, e la k wa to reve. I hm
lec mighl cr at m, murion thar
, ere h.lr m() ni l l ' i rh 1I n i e r .11
prin ipl·... "'ltI a e it for u alone h
virtu' f ( rm." The artt r' \ ork \ a
thus "lh> r 'vclorion' of th "Ii~ prill i
pi v hi'h shall mok ur ) ialliving
b'alltiflll bouse organi all Iru ,"
Th' e id 'oe; w r v II d· I ped
b 1900 and full ,ork'd LIt b
I 12,' h 11 ri III fir t n tru ted
lie in. ~ right hat! e n: cd ollle
f rhe c i IC,l in hI earlle t te t ,
"h
r'hile 't and the L hinc"
( I 4). n I "An:hitect, r ·hil lure,
and Ihe liem" (J' ); h· d v lop'd
rh m in ,. Philosophy of Fine Art"
(I 00); and he e pre. s d I h'm m 'r
full an" I he jar'1n ''o' Prinr: n
Interpretation" (I 12). th' e f ur
p'rmit one t 0110\\ rh~' e 0luri n I' '\ rtght' Idea
n nalur
anti r hil "lllr rom the till1t: ht:
open'd his own pm ti e rhr ugh the
origin:ll 'llilstru tion of ali 'in. In
"Th' j,lpan 'S' Print: 11 1m 'rprct, oon,"
righr mplo cd japan' , art a a
ehi Ie through whi h t) 'pres hi
o'""n phil oph of n:Hure, art, and
ar hite "tun:; it i n
'nrial re. -r for
IInder tandlllg hi intention, in land'ap ar hir IIII' '. The C o}' di.,tilh
and 'p. nd., upon earli r r XL and
lay rh oundntion (or his (utur'
writing n lh' subject. 1\1 th ' hearr
f th
right' idea of " onvemionali/nri n," the proc'" v hereb
ne dr;l' our the mner nature f rhe
Illateflal , orld (a pro "es '\ right
equared, tth ivdizatlon): "Real i\i
hz. ri n m ',111" for u a n ht om: nti nalillng uf uur rigin.1 r,He
arur . ju r .,u -h onvenri nali7ing a
the lru arli", 1ml} scs on n3nJrni r nns."
T
fI ·ht, land
al e wa often
all ill1perf 'r, outward m:lnifl' tation
of n:lture; the ta k r lh . ar 'hiteet
n r bring th our r in -I( er c nformit}' with the inn r Idenl, its
nature, or "mial h.u'llrefl tic..
Thi a aunt for s 'mmg incon. I •
ren ie b tw"n t t and a t : hL
ener ri n o( 11 ture, 011 Ih one
hand, and hIS imp) irion of ar hil '.
LUral forll1upol1 Lnd.cap, 011 th
th r. Thi tIi rincrion is n I ( oh iou'
I
m r modern readers for n. lure
,111d I. ndcapc are commonl ·quared.
ri hr had t nrempt for v h. ( he
J
c,lIed .. '(line, 'nrimental
~eeling
turc wcr imp rt nt nly for th
hint th y pro idcd t thcir "inner
n, turc"
prc din thcir und rI ing
tru rur . Thi tructlJr i what he
ought to I rif in hi land ape
and buildin .,
" tru rur i [h
Taliasin West, l' 40, above, laking north
tall! rd tbe drafting studio, prow garden,
and garden rOO/1/ on tl)(! far right.
PIJot ~ Pedro
imitat d
uerrero.
bout, ni1l1als nd gra' and tre sand
out-of-door ' ncr,lIy 'a oppo cd
t rev I' n'e for nc turc a an internal
ideal, th very "'n:'\ture' f od."
H r Ii th fundam ntal diff 1'cnc h twccn Wright and land • p
ar hit r J n J n n. Th rw friend
agr cd that natur h uld b th
auth rit f I' d ign, ut th diagreed on the pI' per interpretation
o that allth n . .J n en' narurali ti
11 [
qu r
I'
Talir 11/ f! t. 1940, looking northeast
tow rd tbe prow ardell. Photo ~
Pedro E. ,1It'rrero.
'ir I of building t 1'1'
, and gard n in a highl
phi ri 31 d play
hlo k
ithin a ingl
rth
nal
grid. B
h n h d ], red,
" <ltur
t ha e t. ti trulUI' fir t if h \. ould," he was
mpha izin r the organic, dynami
quality of rrllctllrc: its origin in ideal
e neeption, thcn unf Idin ,a pI' du t
f re ti e pro
, hnping and
h ped by fun tion. hi d ribe
t, '
the tru ture of Talie in
ompl
I tti that hold \ ithin it
nri d f rm • nd h
mmodated
mu h hange 0 rth year. The tw
ali in repr nt a pro ound hi t
in 'tru'tural trnt 'yo Her, a in
111 n
ther I' pe t.
right ha on
foot in the pa t, the oth I' in th
futul' . Th I' i oftcn an um I d
t 11. ion in hi work and t
tati "eternal"
m tr
nami " r ni" lru LUre.
Jl
19 ph t taken from door of \ 7right's
office, looking s IItheast t ward draflin
tlldio. Photo <D Pedro ~. ,lIerrero.
Wri hl t ok arc to di tingui h
n uteI' and inncr formhap and trLIcrure-but th irony i
that he himself often fell into th trap
o imitating utcr h. r ,nd i n ring
inncr tructure. Jcn n hid d right
f r dc igning fI t I' f, \ hieh e no d
th h ril malit
f th prairie'
gr und pi ne bUl w I' I' rl dapted
l th region' heavy no all. Tali in
t \. built int th land and ut f
it, th ge metr
f it plan in pired
by the, ngle of th urrounding terr in, but when flo d \ pt down
off th nearby I I
th
metlme
wa h d right through the building.
Wh n Wright re. ponded to the sur-
b tw
I.. ,( I'm f 3 13nd 'ape r,uher th.ln l ,
the procc e tbat haped it lIndal 109 rru ture, he rJn tnto trouhle,
b tr:tl.lI 0 , a PIX M:d r 1I11it li n,
I an Important d \'i
f)r \XIn~hl, ,1
me. n'> f fu. iog the real. nd thl' it.! al.
Ab. lnlcti n i a pI' "~ of impli in
lands ape feature" ~lnpplfIg ,way
d '1 i1~ t h3 t do n t '()Il tl'i bu t to rhe
intended meaning, and 'mphn izing
. igniri ':lnt d tnil. Thr llIgh abstl'3 ri n,
I' " . n entionahzatiol1" as h' had
ailed it in earl rC.T
ri ht ughl
to
prc the unity of 111111.'1' s n
Ind )Ul'\ ard app 31'311 "
in the
perf cd ' I' unded form of th knoll
In the hill gard nand th· tcp!Jlcdge
ur t .lpp ar as jf rhl') \ 'rt' layered
>
b dr ck revealed, but their edg
Iraight r than one" ould finJ in
"n.tllre." " b·tr.cti n I tark
orm," aid
ri rln in 1 7. "In
at tracti n it i' thctru rurc f palt'rIl of tbe thing th:)(
m s clear,
tripp J of all re. listi' 'ffc L, divc t'd
f an reali~11l hats 'v 'r." ri~ht
often ju tap cd th· Itl al and th
r'.1 flh tra'tt: I land . . 'Jp form and
gi\ n form, the 'ultivaretl nd the
v lid: cantilevered terra I.' over' \ ild"
lope' b 10\ . rai d g. rd 11 n pr "
:Inti the dc crt; hillt p gard n
ndo. d I . \ all ,ll1d the frc'l gr " i I1g gra . b yond (Cig • 22
14- ). E pericn ing, III h
, I • ,
ntra t
Ih r h ight'n th· UI r 'ciation 0
';1 h. Ju tapo' d in Ih' mind" eye, s
they w 're in Wright" lifc, the aliI.' 'ins
h. rp n the perception of their tw
land apes; hill garden and pro\ 'arden .ue equi alcnts c h .In ah.tr. Ii n, a re-prc mati n f th r gion.
for ~ ri hI, alNra Ii n al m ant
a progrc. i 'ge 1m I n/Jti n f ut\ .1fd f nn, In I.' h helie cd rho t
natural earur' " r lind r1ain b
"an
mial g omcrry. '" He " r te,
for
rnpl
f hm, ,1 "Japane c
ani I gra 'p. form h a bra hing
und rneath or it ss nti I gc m tr
B thc gm. p of g m tric f nn
and 'CI1 I.' fits mb I alu, h has
log
1/(11'1:. Taliesil/ WI t. /99 . ph f €)
RIIXcr 'frau- 111. Blow, '//I/Sl'{ terra e
al/d gardell nml11. / <)4 •
nrly to u 'ge t certain human
ideas, 11100d , and sentiments-as for
in t. n c: the cir Ie, infinity; th rriangl,
~truetural unity· the spire, aspirnri n'
rhe piral, or Jni progr ; the
quar , Inle >rit .. " Throtl th "subtle
dif r 'ntiation' of the'e elemental
g Olll 'tn' form," and "< ·en e of
Ilh >Irl 'mb 1- < lue,' f rm c uld h
rna I t signif '.
right cmpl ) cd
thl tcl a III b th huildin Jnd gar
den. arden., om c\er ilr diffcr III
rom luilding in n r I CI: the
P
I
ED
22-A: Terrace outside Wright's Taliesin,
Wis OIlS itt, study cantilevered over
wooded landscape b ,low. f9 8-S f.
late Historical ociety of Wisc llSin,
Howe ollee/ioll, Whi (x3) 48219.
emb Jy both real and id aliz d natur .
Land cap f ture may be repre entation f the world, but they are al 0
th world it If physical reality and
idea together, the sour e of 111 taphor
and metaphor. A tree an b a tree
and The Tree; a path b th path and
The Path. he round mound may b
an ab traction of a hill, but it i al 0
a hill, not m rely r pI' mati n.
Th fll i n f th I' al and th id al
in Wright land cap
ontribute
th ir aestheti and ymboli' power.
Buildings were 'cnrral an I integral to
Wright, and they were his primary means
of integrating varied land ape feature
into a unified composition. nc C3nllot
imagin Wright a the d ,igner of a
plac lik courhead in England where
the main vent, the park in the valley
i a parat w rid from th hOLl ,
Wright s lands ape are al 0 inconceivable without the tructures that
order the I:1nd cape even a th y re pond
to it. The terrae and gardens of Talie in
el113nat outward from the dwelling;
th I' V I' i 31
trtl: Land cap
ugg t d the f I'm f th building
th iz and pia 111 nt f window,
l i f t n imp ibl,to ay wher
buildin nd and I nd ape b gin.
Thi point wa brought home to me
while working on the pI' .ent e ay.
d ribe Wright' approach to land cap
de ign a distin r fr In hi building i
imp ibl, Again and ain I f lind
my If in ide th building looking
out to di tant view of hill, lake trees,
and building' following the plane of
interior floor t e teri r terrace, then
out ide, tl'acing th line of wall. and
roofs as they. lid inro t rrain in a fusi n
f building and earth. Wright's work
i part f a larg r tradition of architur that mbra e th id a of
land ap and building a ontinuu ,wher building int riors are lik
lands ape, wh I' lh real and th
id al are alway in dynami l n i n.
he . ame prin iple. guided
right' d. i n f building and
land ape.; loth were ar hireccur .
Planr
r mat rial that hould b
, ma
nd 'r upcd" ea harding
r il "rru n ture-that i
it n rural!
b t to h 'I ir full
b aur
lila',. rin a an elm
an ak r a maple. .. he formaliry
n
ry r harmonize the e gro\ ing
thing
ith man' urrounding i
u hr and fund in th ar hit tural
f rhe I n, th di i i n, Ih
n I ur, th arrang mem." ri ht
applied Ih
prin ipl I land cape
din I hr ugh ut hi areer' from
th> hi h walled n I ure of the garden' in hi pr. iri - tyl hue!>, to the
I wer \ all end -in the hill garden
Ii in ro rhe wall rai ed above
the de'ert ar aliein We r; all arc
organiz d by rhe geomctry of the
plan thr ugh di i ion, en I ure, and
:Hrang Illenlo At the Talie. in , place
wh r h w rk d ov ,. a long p ri d
and c ' rr d [h m . r c ncrol bllildin
(lnd land c p gradll< Ily m rg d.
On find one If, a Wri ht wa with
Japan ' r hit wr
lumped t
d r rmine "wher rhe garden lea e
f and th arden be in ... toO
delighred wirh rhe pr blem to attempr
t
Ive it."
nu • and mutabiliry.
r Tali in e t, ri ht fll ed g 0III rri and movement space' the zig
and za
re n t irre ular but rru rur d b th line of t\ 0 orthogonal
rid. tati' "eternal geom try and
d namic" r 'anic" tru ture are held
in delib rate ren i n.
right under to d land cape a
d nami ,a ubjeer [ on tant han e,
and r weh a am ng th primar
life prin ipl of hi rgani ar hite Hi 0\ n home at Tali in in
n in and riz n <r brilliant
c a n I. nd • p d ign that can
a ommodar growrh nd han e.
Bri rI
b rved, , r.
right ne er
ared • hour thin' la ting. He wa
'ati fied ju 't to . e them take shape."
h buildin rs and their land. cap
were built and rebuilt, haped and
re hap cl inu e., ivc para y m of
reariv d. tn.1 ri n. Th ir very enc
wa. han c, th ir urrcnr f 1'111 rh re ult
of addiri n ~lI1d ubera ri n, a r ti n
and r ion, gr weh and d • y.
The prow-garden pOlld outside the
drafting studio ami dining r001l7. 1940.
© I edro E-.. 1/ rrero.
II
I h "dc "at" "IIrrolllldill~ ulJesin
\\ ' t hu chulllwd rJ II ,Illy J" the dt'lIIl)' u( "ettlell/ellt ill' the l'l1l1l"
merl'.lst'd. . cI'd hl1l 1 blowlI III frulII
lalNls ,md gird 115 III /I('lrll)1 IIhdlLll"WII , Rllllof( (rom mads, Iwrkmg lot",
iJlld Irrlg Ited g<lrdell~ allCl rfflll'lIl from
I'mlgl' trl',ltmellt bdl't' Iltt'(l'd the charutl'r o{ pl1llt" 1mlt 'lll/: thrre: there ,1ft'
(elt'er cactI /II the I'aff/')', III 0 rt' "'lIod)'
sh,."b • drll rr growth (III tlJe de ert It
fa ',e "In \ t! t tlldll IlI't lell 'ears ago,
The t(Jllgh dl' at /1"'lIt5 ol til' IJ(Clw
g ",Iell Ife gOlle, repld I'd by IIbtropl'
elll um,wtellt 115 til If rrqlllre "flg 1t101I:
tl)(.'sl' hatle also rep/dCl'd 11111 h o( the'
(lr; 'mll desert pI mtmg 1I 111hlll Ibt' rest
01 the colllplex. \ IJlft' tlu- c/llllges do
dllt'r the cfuflt), ol I"xt II/(} "ed geoll/ctm's thut em. XI "It'd [1l'11l'C'rll g,ud II
<llld dc "crt, accordmg to <lPprt'l1t ICC
"",cl,J Brter/)' ullcI John dCI'OIIt'1I
H IfI, III)() !Jee,lml' 11(1 1IIC'lIIbers 01
\\Inghl' -IICCC~ or (trill, J l/ieslll
ArelJltrcls, alld em
'd to I'l-C' at thc
tlt-O </li1'5111 , II was \ flglJt I)lm r1l
who first illtr dllCl: I tlll"r (orrlgll
1,/1111 . Photo mill: above. <D J. 'pellcer
LII!.:I'; be/oll1 , <D Poger St,.
//1; nlJpoUr, col/rtes - Frllllk Uoyd \ rtghl
rclJlI'C's.
r
ri lJt's Landscap
c n crucri< n 0 er half ,\ cenrur)',
• -h m 'dium illumin"lling, dan -ing,
and xt 'ndlll th tha tor u coda
l\ rh)' mu r have done for ~ righr
hUll If. lr i
n thu\A to reau, .. ~,
d id u r huild our ch c<, Int rh
h( of rhe d rt," ;lnu quite JJI th r
to ',min th ph\n
ut JJld 111, r
ph r ~filph f pe pl' tIl "IJlg and
k and planr ,to P rirealit 0 the pla'c ir elf
il. V'ry tru "rur i knit into th
de~crr.
he Talie. ins w '1"' right's
1t\llcb ,\pe laboralori s (r ngoing
ri 'ht Ie ran -h Ie a"
" pe -wnnen dr,l\ JI .1I1d
\\h
c
I"",
"'S
peril11cnr!> In (orm, (eeling and
ther arc Id as 111 rhc < n inal
f rhe \ ord: "'lSI hie rcpr ncatIOn o( a un~'ptlun' rc.li7
111 ',lI1l11g;
'n c
"', and
u
Idl:al ." All thi
i I I1t t
• mon' thl: mCl~t
~
right
ntributlon l ,hi traditi 11 V. • 'tra rUIIl r ,II believed
th. c r hitl: 'cure-of buildtng and
I.nd ap ---<:ould he' m "narura'"
if d· igncd Ole 'ordln t prin ipl
d ri d r m nalllrr. h atm
hi
an, he \; r ( (0 I WIS ~lumf rd in
1 _ \ a 'trul), n Ie than ch
reati n ( f miln ,1
p r ect 'R w r
arur ,'"
th.ll1U
ape,
ur
1/11(' \ hisloll
IJlm is Pro(e sor
fI( f 111 I. 'calle ArdJlteclllrc alld Regl 1171
PI IJ/IIl11g a t I he I assaclw 'Its
III 1IIIIIe o( ec/m logy. ]hi drticle
I. m I! 'cerpl (mill her cb 7pter III
rank L10 d ri 'ht: I: i n or an
Amen an I 3nth 'ape, ( 22-1
edited by DLlLllt! Dt, 1 ng (llarr '
I\br m' lid HI dl71l .elltre (or
Ar 'Jlle tllrt', I' 6).
ED