Fine Art Tuesday

We’re going to try something new. In looking for inspiration for this post, I stumbled across this definition of fine art. According to this definition, fine art includes:

• Architecture
• Sculpture
• Painting
• Music
• Literature
• Dance
• Theater
• Cinema

Now that gives a fellow a lot of rope to hang himself with. I realize that this goes far beyond what Ol’ Remus did, but since this is supposed to be a tribute to his work, rather than some poor attempt at recreating what he did, I’m going to run with it. Art is not an area that I’m well educated in. Opening up the categories gives me a lot more room to make a fool of myself.

I’m going to go with architecture for this post. I may actually go with rotating through the 8 categories, but that’s a decision I’ll take later.

So, an architectural fine art post. This one is easy. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Imperial Hotel, which stood in Tokyo from 1923-1968, when it was demolished for some unholy modern POS.

Wright was a prolific and unorthodox architect. While I’ve never had the opportunity to visit an actual building of his, I’ve always been fascinated with the breadth of his vision. From a basic concept of designing in harmony with humans and nature, he was a pioneer of the Prairie school of architecture, but I believe many of his works, while drawing on that school, defy easy categorization. The Imperial Hotel is one such effort.

Take a virtual walk-through.

While I can see nods to the Prairie school, this building is its own thing, fitting into the landscape of Tokyo in the same way Fallingwater fits in with the Pennsylvania land on which it sits.

I’m not overly fond of his reliance on built-in furniture pieces, and a lot of the furniture he designed to go with various buildings looks to me like it would be excruciating to live with. But the buildings themselves are art.

Of course, I doubt he would have approved of me wetting a hook off one of Fallingwater’s balconies, but what can I say-I’m a heathen.