�Individuality is the most precious thing in life, isn�t it?�
May 27, 2004
Woah. I�m a diary-writing fiend lately. I�m still busy busy busy, but suddenly I just have so much to say, though ultimately not the energy or focus to say it properly (see, yesterday�s �entry�). In any case, it�s the weekend. I have a couple of days to stay up real late and waste time, take care of myself, and forget about the disastrous class I taught today.
An interesting thing I�ve picked up from this course I�m taking/teaching though (other than the fact that I apparently say �so� a lot when I�m talking), is a book titled Modern American Profiles. It�s great because it has profiles of a lot of people I was into or read about when I was younger (Leonard Bernstein, Malcolm X, Marilyn Monroe), but because it is meant to be used for students just learning English the language is simplified and so it�s easy to read while giving a lot of information, and reminding me of all the stuff I used to know about these people.
I just finished reading the chapter on Frank Lloyd Wright, an architect I actually never really thought about much back in the day when I considered going into architecture (sometime around 16-17 maybe?) It�s odd that I never really got into him considering that I generally agree with his attitude towards life and people, and his idea of using nature or staying �natural� in his architecture. But there was always something about FLW that sort of kept me off of him, though I can�t exactly put my finger on it. Maybe it�s the fact that he was and is so �pop� though I realize that back in his day he was more of a social pariah�
So (there I go with the �so�) ultimately I want to get to the core of this entry, which is that reading this brief chapter summarizing Wright�s life has brought back to me the experience that was reading The Fountainhead. (Stop right there Mr. Inkwell! I heard that groan!) I recognize that there are a lot who would consider The Fountainhead, and Ayn Rand generally, trite, sentimental bullshit (did I get it about right?), and while I kinda agree that Rand is full of shit or, more to the point, a hypocritical, self-centered, egotistical bitch, I really really loved The Fountainhead. I mean, it was this epic tale about the battle between a few very sexy men (YEAH, baby!), meanwhile detailing a very exciting era in the development of architecture. The thing is�and I don�t know how I missed this when I first read it, Howard Roarke is essentially based on Frank Lloyd Wright. I mean it�s all there�the solid, but innovative and idealistic mentor (Louis Sullivan) the Unitarian Church, the house built as if �out of the rock� (there is a picture they always show of the Kaufman House, and I can just picture Roarke on the large rock, sweating in the sun and meeting Gabriella�s stare), the low budget housing, the whole running off with a client�s wife, etc. etc.
(By the way, Jing, I�m counting on you to correct any mistakes I might be making here).
Anyway, I am sure there are a million studies out there done on this. I�m sure that Rand and Wright were actually best friends or lovers (though, without viagra it mighta been hard). It�s odd, but I had always thought that Roarke was modeled more after Mies Van Der Rohe, with his controversial, austere skyscrapers, and his passion for simplicity. But now I see I probably just thought that because I�m a fan of the Mies.
I�m thinking I have to go back and read The Fountainhead again. It�s been almost 3 years. Yeah, I�ll go back, I�ll read it and then I�ll spend the next month in crisis thinking about how I�ve wasted my life and I should have just done architecture in the first place instead of all this messy stuff I�ve done in between. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.