I love the ideas of Frank Lloyd Wright.
“Nature is your book of reference, you must study and learn from it.”
I love his idea that buildings should be organic and should integrate into the environment. However, I don’t like the architecture of Wright. I’ve tried. It seems so severe to me. His simple lines seem harsh.
I imagine that sitting inside Fallingwater, Wright’s most iconic house, in the living room perhaps , you would feel part of nature, you feel the water falling around you. Being inside a Wright home is maybe where the magic is. The integration comes from nature coming into the house rather than the house becoming part of nature.
Jim and I went to the Milwaukee Art Museum on Saturday. It was packed. We were happily surprised to find that not only was Wright on exhibit but we had happened upon Milwaukee’s Annual Art in Bloom.
Art in Bloom has florists from around the city create flower arrangements inspired by the art found in the museum’s collection. As we strolled through the gallery we were delighted to discover that the flower arrangements gave us a talking point from which to discuss the art.
Some florists had taken a very literal approach and had ‘recreated’ the piece of art using color and shape. These arrangements beautifully represented the painting. However some, like the arrangement inspired by Zurbaran’s Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb, were like art themselves. This arrangement captured the peaceful yet somber, humble, slightly dark feel of the painting exactly.
Art inspired by nature and nature inspired by art; another wonderful Saturday in Milwaukee.
