Heroes

5. November 2010 by Chad.

IMG_9623.jpg, originally uploaded by studio.idee.

I had the opportunity this fall to visit the home of one of my architectural heroes. Taliesin West was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural fellowship, just outside Scotsdale, AZ. My parents own a vacation home in Mesa and have been waiting a few years for me to come out so my father and I could see this landmark together (he is also a big fan).

I have often said that if I were to go back to school it would be to study architecture. Defining space in a way that intuitively informs the user of its purpose has interested me for a long time. I used to want to be a furniture designer and would have specialized in office furniture and layouts had I pursued that field. To improve one’s time in the environment most of it is spent in is a noble calling.

But getting back to the point of this post. FLW has been a hero of mine for a long time and it was only recently that I watched a PBS documentary on his life. He was a tragic character but I cannot help thinking, much of the tragedy of his life could have been avoided if he were just a little nicer. He was a hard man; notoriously arrogant and demanding. When you commissioned work from him you got exactly what he wanted you to. From the form of the structure down to the pattern on the bedsheets; he was in control. He lived by the philosophy ‘take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.’ This lead him to the brink of financial ruin more than once and is not anything I aspire to pursue.

A few years ago I had the chance to visit a great work by another of my architectural heroes; Charles Rennie Mackintosh. He worked in roughly the same period as FLW, around the turn of the last century (Arts and Crafts/Art Nouveau). Touring the Glasgow School of Art and taking lunch at The Willow Tearooms was a humbling experience for me at the time. I felt I was in the presence of greatness. But CRM was also a tragic figure. He died almost penniless of throat and tongue cancer, never receiving the acknowledgment he deserved for his work. Having studied both lives I would rather have Mackintosh’s for the simple reason that he worked closely with his wife.

Both of these men had hardship that would crush most but they succeeded by the conviction that what they were doing was world changing and necessary. They both loved their work and were wholly devoted to it. They could not be moved once they had made up their minds.

The point of this post is for me to explore whether or not it is good to be so single-minded. If the lives of these two men are the price to be paid for immortality and success, I am not sure I am willing to pay. FLW suffered financial, marital, and personal hardship because of his stubbornness and lack of ability to compromise. But he left the world with designs and ideas that continue to grow and influence architecture and design to this day. CRM suffered financial hardship and was never really recognized in his time for the genius he was. He struggled to find commissions and spent two years in France painting because no one wanted to hire him. I would rather have a great relationship with my wife, live modestly, and keep friendships than to grasp immortality and fame by pouring every waking moment and every bit of energy and thought into my work. I cannot be so single-minded and hard headed. It will ruin my life.

Now I understand that this may sound a bit arrogant; supposing that this is a choice I am making not to conquer the world. But who knows what any one of us is able to accomplish if we are willing to sacrifice every relationship, our financial well being and perhaps our very souls on the alter of ideas.

As always, I welcome your responses.

Chad

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