110 Times People Made Something Amazing Out Of Wood (New Pics)

I was listening to Cormac McCarthy’s conversation with David Krakauer, and he said something striking about Fallingwater: “My brother Dennis says—and I think he’s. right, after some reflection—that Fallingwater is the absolute icon of American art in the 20th century. And this covers poetry, painting—everything. There’s one iconic entity, and this is it… There’s not a painting, or a poem, or another piece of architecture that has this stature. It’s an astonishing thing.”
Quite something to hear from one of the icons of American literature.
I’m curious to know, why does Fallingwater holds such iconic stature? And, what philosophical current of 20th century American culture is reflected in Fallingwater?
Any reflection or response is warmly welcomed…

stereoroid:

It "fits" in to its surroundings so well: it's not natural (of course) but doesn't appear blatantly unnatural. The use of the stream is part of that too.

I recently discovered that Phoenix has the second highest concentration of mid century modern buildings behind Palm Springs. Going to try and photograph the unique and fun styles on film for a personal project as I discover them.

When I visited Taiwan last December, one of the first things that struck about the architecture in Taipei and Kaohsiung was how modern yet nostalgic in can be. You could clearly tell that the country experienced economic booms in the late 90’s and the 2010s based on the designs of the skyscrapers there. Kaohsiung was a city that I had unexpectedly fallen in love with, as the buildings there had so much character and yet I think it speaks volumes how the tallest building there (formerly the tallest building in Taiwan) sits abandoned.

It's the most interior of a building I've ever seen.

I've been wondering if the intricate designs, symmetry, and symbolism found in mosques and Hindu temples could have been influenced by psychedelic experiences. Are there any historical records, academic studies, or credible theories that suggest a connection between sacred architecture and altered states of consciousness?

Paro-Clomas:

The client is not in a hurry. To clarify. This is something Gaudi himself said when asked about why it was taking so long. The mentality for which this was built was closer to that of the cathedrals built in the middle ages, which routinely took centuries to build. It's not the modern bourgeois paradigm of a client who hires a professional for a very clearly delimited service that will used specifically for him. Gaudi did build for this paradigm also, most notoriusly for Eusebi Guell but who also acted in a very similar manner to renaisance patreons, sponsoring his artistic talent.
Productive practices that go beyond the indivudal always existed and are present today. Most forms of human organizations tend to have vast and abstract plans that go well beyond the interest of a single person, or a mere extrapolation and amalgamation of individual interests. The same happens with countries, cities, religious organizations, even corporations.
The problem is the ever intensifying bout of hyper individualism makes this kind of thinking harder and harder to understand, even tough its a basic and probably unavoidable part of every civilization and culture that ever existed.

In Mexico City, the Hernández House was designed by architect Agustín Hernández Navarro for his sister, the dancer and choreographer Amalia Hernández. Built in 1973, the residence served as the home for the founder of the Ballet Folklórico de México for twenty-seven years. The design combined brutalist and organic forms to create a structure that functioned as both a living space and a sculpture.
The turning moment in the architecture was the decision to suspend the home’s primary volumes, allowing it to float above the landscape with minimal contact with the earth. The interior featured dramatic, curved concrete walls and large circular windows that mirrored the fluid movement of the owner’s choreography. This outcome created a fusion between her artistic life and the physical environment she inhabited until her passing in 2000.
The residence stands as a permanent tribute to the creative bond between a visionary architect and the artist who defined Mexican modern dance.

Estádio Municipal de Braga is a football stadium in Braga, Portugal. It was built in 2003 for UEFA Euro 2004 and has a capacity of 30,286 spectators. It was designed by architect Eduardo Souto de Moura and structural engineer Rui Furtado.

The stadium is carved into the side of a former granite quarry on Monte Castro, with rock forming one goal end and the opposite end open to the valley. Only two lateral stands were constructed, connected by a canopy-style roof supported by steel tension cables.

Concrete, exposed rock, and steel are the primary visible materials. The design integrates the structure with the landscape rather than enclosing it.

It is the home of Sporting Clube de Braga. The architect won the Pritzker Prize partly for this work.