Smiles
February 3rd, 2007, 23:26
Watched 'Sketches of Frank Gehry' last night ... picked up in a whim as I had vaguely heard about it before, yet wondering whether a documentary about architecture would be worthwhile. Not 5 minutes before stepping into the video rental store I had gone ass over teakettle on a patch of ice in the dark back alley shortcut I foolishly took, so my butt and hand ached from hitting the ground pretty well in tandem (my hand saved my coccyx, I'm sure) and my humour was black: a good time to watch a story of a man who produces stupendous beauty out of a crumpled papers from his waste basket.
Gehry is a humble egoist (his opinion) with a gentle demeanour and an easy-going manner of working with his partners in his architectural offices in Los Angeles, and a total willingness to open up to his friend, director Sydney Pollack and his little hand held camera. A very down to earth dude with hardly any obvious pretension.
I love the sense of chaos which most of his buildings have within them: he's a closet cubist enjoying some obvious references to Picasso in much of his buildings
For instance, this shot of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa Spain, juxtaposed against two Picasso works.
Dig the golden back wall in the Picasso to the right and how it is a veritable mirror of the skin of the Guggenheim. Lots of equivalent angles and curves, especially at the top.
The curvings and colours in the Picasso at the bottom jump out from the building as well. If Gehry didn't take a good look at this painting, I'll be a monkey's uncle!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim03.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/picasso2.jpg
And a shot of the annoyingly beautiful Bilbao from further away:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim04.jpg
I love the rolling rounded movement in both Frank Lloyd Wright's original Guggenheim in New York (right) and Gehry's Disneyland Executive office building in Los Angeles. And in amongst the curved lines ... two outta-no-where sharp straight-edges to worry you. Wright's building was far ahead of his time, and Gehry just moved it straight forward into the edges of the surreal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim02.jpg
And this struck me also: these two buildings above ... with their sensuous and flowing meanderings, remind me of some sights seen in a venue not often associated with the traditional architectural sensibility ~ the golf course. What do you think?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/golfbunkers.jpg
Over the top? This dance studio in Prague is as edgy a building as one can imagine. Seemingly built against some physical law, it's still standing and being danced in . . . a weird ballet of it's own right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim06.jpg
Love the way the graceful curve of this building in downtown Los Angeles seems to hold up the very walls of the high office tower beside it. Gehry has a love of "placement" ... giving definition to not only his own building, but all those around it: making them ALL better, and more sublime.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim05.jpg
This documentary is available on DVD at most video stores. A most enjoyable 90 minutes and highly recommended.
Cheers ...
Gehry is a humble egoist (his opinion) with a gentle demeanour and an easy-going manner of working with his partners in his architectural offices in Los Angeles, and a total willingness to open up to his friend, director Sydney Pollack and his little hand held camera. A very down to earth dude with hardly any obvious pretension.
I love the sense of chaos which most of his buildings have within them: he's a closet cubist enjoying some obvious references to Picasso in much of his buildings
For instance, this shot of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa Spain, juxtaposed against two Picasso works.
Dig the golden back wall in the Picasso to the right and how it is a veritable mirror of the skin of the Guggenheim. Lots of equivalent angles and curves, especially at the top.
The curvings and colours in the Picasso at the bottom jump out from the building as well. If Gehry didn't take a good look at this painting, I'll be a monkey's uncle!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim03.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/picasso2.jpg
And a shot of the annoyingly beautiful Bilbao from further away:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim04.jpg
I love the rolling rounded movement in both Frank Lloyd Wright's original Guggenheim in New York (right) and Gehry's Disneyland Executive office building in Los Angeles. And in amongst the curved lines ... two outta-no-where sharp straight-edges to worry you. Wright's building was far ahead of his time, and Gehry just moved it straight forward into the edges of the surreal.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim02.jpg
And this struck me also: these two buildings above ... with their sensuous and flowing meanderings, remind me of some sights seen in a venue not often associated with the traditional architectural sensibility ~ the golf course. What do you think?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/golfbunkers.jpg
Over the top? This dance studio in Prague is as edgy a building as one can imagine. Seemingly built against some physical law, it's still standing and being danced in . . . a weird ballet of it's own right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim06.jpg
Love the way the graceful curve of this building in downtown Los Angeles seems to hold up the very walls of the high office tower beside it. Gehry has a love of "placement" ... giving definition to not only his own building, but all those around it: making them ALL better, and more sublime.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Images/guggenheim05.jpg
This documentary is available on DVD at most video stores. A most enjoyable 90 minutes and highly recommended.
Cheers ...