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Misunderstood Geniuses We Love Today

Misunderstood Geniuses We Love Today

Good architects are commonly appreciated immediately, but geniuses may take a little bit more to get the people used to their work. That is what happened to these geniuses that had it pretty difficult at first but have had history make them justice.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright is now known as one of the most important architects in American history. He has become a key reference for all architects and architecture lovers. However, it was not easy for him in the beginning. His work was controversial and unorthodox, making it difficult for him to be widely accepted. One of his most iconic buildings, the Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, was nearly demolished in the early 1940’s and now is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in the city. He became a turning point for American architecture by developing a style that was set apart from the European heritage through modern and innovative buildings. He was the mastermind behind twelve of the Architectural Record’s 100 most important buildings of the century. He’s considered by some as the greatest American architect of all time.

Rudolph Michael Schindler

Schindler was born in Vienna, where he studied art and engineering, becoming very familiar with the Austrian avant-garde. He then migrated to the US, where he studied closely Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, with whom he collaborated. He focused mainly on housing, with few exceptions like a church. He gradually developed a style that was modern and deeply aware of its surroundings -the climate, the local culture, etc. He experimented with different materials and came up with unique projects each time. Even though his was a one-of-a-kind perspective and his creations had a distinctive style, he was not appreciated enough during his lifetime. However, time has brought him justice and he is now praised as a key agent in the history of American architecture.

 

Le Corbusier

Anyone who’s remotely interested in architecture has heard about Le Corbosier. There are mixed opinions about his work, but his legacy is undoubted. At first he was widely critiqued for his simplicity and for some common mistakes in the development of his projects. He was the least understood of modern architects, with a context that trivialized his ideas and approached his work in a reductionist way. However, his extraordinary ability to come up with a tremendous range of solutions and ideas that responded to the context has placed him in a privileged place within history, turning him into a founding stone for the way in which we build and live in today’s cities.

It seems like any really innovative idea takes a while to sink in, to truly be understood and accepted. These geniuses are an example of the lengths that one can travel without the need of public praise: with time, the truly great are the ones who prevail. YOU MUST READ Five Movies Every Architect or Architecture Lover Must See


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