Lloyd Wright
Where did Frank Lloyd Wright get the idea for compression, tension and release?
He used this technique on most of his designs. But I cannot find where or how he came about with this technique? Was it Louis Sullivan’s? Anyone know where I can find the answer in print?
Frank Lloyd Wright sought to create an “American” architecture. Wright gained inspiration from his childhood on the family farmlands of Southern Wisconsin. Wright viewed those years as an intimate introduction to the aesthetics of nature. He discovered the catalyst to new principles of architectural expression only after he chose to imitate the prairies of the Midwest. The prairies had been a strangely open land. He believed that the open landscape was nature’s eloquent way of making freedom visible.
He used “compression and release” to make his buildings “speak” directly of freedom, the one great ideal of the American people. This confining space, termed the “compress,” made the visitor uncomfortable and encouraged them to move from the entrance into the larger main room, hence the “release.” The “release” also imparts a feeling (or the impression) of freedom.
Wright was a stickler for good manners and often used “compression and release” to promote this trait in visitors. Wright designed entrances as narrow hallways with extremely low ceilings, often no more than six feet high. The claustrophobic hallways encouraged a flow of traffic into the main room, thereby preventing people from obstructing the entrance. A similar concept of encouraging good behavior through architecture can be seen in the group dining room of Taliesin West. This room had ceilings that were also uncomfortably low, which encouraged diners to sit at the tables instead of standing.
Compression and release, which is also known as “tension and resolution” or “embrace and release,” were concepts that Wright used in many of his designs, including the playroom in his Oak Park Home and Studio, Johnson Wax Headquarters, the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Kentuck Knob, and many others.
The evolution of Wright’s architecture was briefly summarized by Donald Hoffman in “Understanding Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture” (Dover Publications, Inc., 1995).
The technique of compression and release are discussed in greater detail in by Grant Hildebrand in “The Wright Space. Pattern and Meaning in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Houses” (University of Washington Press 1991).
Imperial Hotel Lobby, Frank Lloyd Wright
|
|
Oneida Amsterdam 53-Piece Set, Service for 8 $89.99 With a focus on sleek design, Oneida’s Amsterdam 53-piece flatware set makes a streamlined statement in contemporary dining decors. Oversized without appearing bulky, the slim shapes feature clean edges and long lines on a bright mirror finish. Narrow cuts across each handle’s neck and tip create a graphic pattern, enhanced by an intersecting cut running down the handle’s length. Perfect for every… |
|
|
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Set of 4 Assorted Metal Insert Coasters $29.29 This lovely set of 4 coasters makes a great gift…. |
|
|
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Hillside Rug Set of 4 Stone Coaster New Gift $21.99 Frank Lloyd Wright Hillside Rug Designs – Beautiful set of 4 sandstone coasters. These lovely coasters are made of sandstone, which can absorb liquid from sweaty glasses, or even small spills! Coasters are corked on the bottom, measure approx 4 inches square, and are brand new, in box, ready for gift – giving…. |
|
|
Bridge over Troubled Water $4.57 No one can say Simon & Garfunkel went out with a whimper. The popular duo’s 1970 swan song produced four hit singles and won six Grammy awards, including Record, Album, and Song of the Year. An involving mix of sweeping epics (“The Boxer,” the title track) and breezy throwaways (a live cover of the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love,” the rock & roll trifle “Baby Driver”), Bridge was one of the … |
|
|
Les Miserables Original London Cast $16.51 This recording captures the 1985 London cast that transformed an obscure French musical based on Victor Hugo’s gargantuan novel of pre-Revolutionary France into a worldwide phenomenon throughout the late-’80s and ’90s and became one of the best examples of the era’s trend of blockbuster musical spectacles. Yes, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schoenberg’s score tends to recycle its themes, but the… |
|
|
Jesus Christ Superstar (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast) $10.18 Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar is most familiar from its original concept recording or film soundtrack, so it’s a long-overdue treat to have the 1971 original Broadway cast finally available on CD. It’s a great listen, anchored by Ben Vereen’s powerhouse performance as Judas, complemented by Jeff Fenholt as Christ and, from the original recording and the film, Yvonne El… |
|
|
Partner to Genius: A Biography of Olgivanna Lloyd Wright [VHS] $10.99 … |
|
|
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [VHS] $3.99 Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it’s a savvy choice. It hasn’t been represented on film before, it’s short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather… |
|
|
Frank Lloyd Wright: The Mike Wallace Interviews [VHS] $5.00 … |
|
|
Quoizel TF885T Stephen 2 Light Tiffany Table Lamp, Vintage Bronze Finish $169.99 … |
Tags: architecture, art, design, franklloydwright, lloyd wright, lloyd wright chapel, lloyd wright franklin ave, lloyd wright hep c, lloyd wright los angeles, wright
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 9:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.