Sunday, April 20, 2014

Taliesin West

Taliesen West 4

My favorite thing to do in Phoenix, a visit to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home. Wright, a cantankerous genius, was one of the greatest architects of the 20th Century. His most famous work is probably the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

The building sits on the eastern outskirts of the Phoenix area, with nothing beyond but desert and mountain. He and his wife entertained the greats of the artistic and political worlds, holding grand salons that make make you think of a dessicated version of Gertrude Stein's.

The house is full of rectangles but also triangles, some quite subtle. Look for them in today's and tomorrow's posts. And, yes, I gotta do one more, featuring interior space and artwork.

It's hard to give an impression of the place without being there. Someone once said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. And I can't dance to save my life.                         

Taliesen West 2

Taliesen West 3

Taliesen West 1

9 comments:

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

It is a shame that they ran high power lines just west of his property so that he had to abandon the view and orientation to the west and instead focus on the view to the East up the McDowell Mountains.

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

Gorgeous images. We so enjoy Taliesin West. We are so glad we were able to spend time with you and Carolyn. We really enjoyed the opportunity to meet in person and share some wine, good food, and great discussions. You both are very active when traveling and you both saw so much when you were in Arizona. You both have lots of energy!

s.c said...

Great images. I have been in Talisien east, Johnson Wax Factory and House of the Falling Water but this one is still on my bucket list. Have a happy Easter.

Luis Gomez said...

This is such a great place. Thank you Bob. Wonderful pictures.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Firstly a belated very happy 40th anniversary Bob and Mrs C and what a fab trip to celebrate the occasion. Have enjoyed your Phoenix posts and how wonderful to see Sharon, Dave and Julie.. I've had the pleasure of meeting four blogger friends and enjoyed it very much.
p.s. I now know the joy you guys experienced when Madeleine was born, isn't it just wonderful to have the sweetest little granddaughter.. just wish they didn't live in Sydney :(

William Kendall said...

That is a beautiful place!

Birdman said...

Sounds like a Williams Burroughs quote to me. Ha!

Stefan Jansson said...

What a great house. And photos of it.

Jack said...

We are in very different places about Wright. The general forms of his buildings are visually pleasing, but the room arrangements are usually nuts and he designed buildings that leaked. First obligation of an architect is to keep the shell intact.