Frank Lloyd Wright: Flawed Genius
ART7-5b-Tue1
Carl Lazarus
This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation in this course requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.
April 22 - May 20
More than sixty years after his death, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) is still America’s best-known architect. He designed more than 1,000 buildings, of which 532 were completed, some in the 21st century. He also designed furniture and stained glass for his buildings. Wright pioneered the Prairie School of Architecture, the Usonian house, and open floor plans. His ideas of Organic Architecture and green buildings resonate today. His genius and creativity were matched only by his ego: “Early in life, I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasions to change.” “Honest” might not be the right term; Wright was often a teller of alternative facts and frequently didn’t pay his bills. In this course we will look at both his works and his life, the influences that shaped him and how he influenced other architects. We will view slides and videos of his most interesting buildings, many of astonishing beauty, and discuss common themes in his works. Short student reports on different aspects of his work will be strongly encouraged. If there is sufficient interest, there will be an optional outing to tour two Wright houses in Manchester, NH.
Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.
The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright by Thomas A. Heinz. There are multiple editions available in hardcover or paperback. All are similar and are acceptable, though paperback print may be small. The book is out of print but there are many used copies available at Amazon for reasonable prices.
There will also be links provided to short online materials.
We’ll cover about 80 pages per week of the book, but a majority of this is pictures, so it will not be a heavy reading load.
Carl Lazarus studied chemistry at Yale and biochemistry at Brandeis, and subsequently studied computer science at MIT and made his career in information technology. He wrote software and managed software development for the healthcare industry, and later managed various online services. He has been a lifelong fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, visiting numerous Wright buildings around the US and reading avidly about Wright. Carl has led a variety of BOLLI courses starting in 2015, including climate change mitigation, the creation of the Internet, and What Hath the Internet Wrought.