Frank Lloyd Wright,
Fallingwater House
THIS PAST WEEKEND, I had the privilege of participating in a class trip
that took us to one of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest masterpieces, a house
in Pennsylvania named Fallingwater that has become a part of American
landscaping and architectural history. Wright designed the house in 1936
for Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufmann. Kaufamnn's son studied
with Wright and requested that he design the house. Originally, the Kaufmanns
wanted a simple weekend home on their property in the Allegheny Mountains
at Bear Run. They expected that the house would face the waterfall, but
Wright focused on a vision of the house interacting in much more dramatic
way with the natural surroundings. The house built from Wright's design
was cantilevered out over the stream on top of the waterfall. A staircase
in the living room leads down to the water.
When I first walked into the house what hit
me was the size of the living room, the stone floors and the fireplace
which was carved out of rock. A metal pot used to heat wind draws attention
to the fireplace. Wright considered the fireplace, the hearth-the sacred
center of the home. Once in the room, what stands out is the view out
the windows at the flowing stream and woods. That alone is worth the trip.
I also liked Edgar Kauffman Jr.'s dressing room/study. It had floor to
ceiling windows that opened outward at the corner of the room. This room
also had stone floors and walls and looked out onto a terrace with a beautiful
view. Throughout the house Kaufmann had original artwork - Japanese prints,
statues that looked Mayan, Mexican painting and also work by Picasso.
Based on my experience at Fallingwater, and photographs of other works,
I look forward to seeing another of Wright's masterpieces.
Fernando Gonzalez
WHEN I ENTERED Fallingwater House, there
were many exhibits that captured my interest. It was stunning to be there.
I was surprised to find the work of Diego Rivera and to learn that he
had also once visited the house. The painting I really liked was Diego
Rivera's El Sueno (The Dream). For some it represents a dead child,
for others innocence. In some ways it resembles the Hellenistic Sleeping
Eros in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I also liked the sculpture by
Diego Rivera's gardener that was placed around the terraces. It looked
as if it were inspired by Mayan and Aztec art.
Elizabeth Taveras
 
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