A New Modernism: The Architecture of Richard Meier

Ok guys, it's been a little while (sorry, no sleep for me the past week), but I'm back with a special treat.  The work of this man:

Richard Meier.  Architect and Badass

Meier is a big deal in the world of architecture.  He was part of the legendary New York Five, a group of five architects from (guess where?) New York who together published a book titled Five Architects in 1972, and impassioned and brilliant defense of modernism as Le Corbusier intended- that the house is a machine for living, lack of ornamentation, etc.

Of course, Meier took it to the extreme, which is why he's getting on this blog.

After the other four members left the strict modernism they preached in 1972 (Michael Graves for post modernism, Peter Eisenman for deconstructivism, and the other two for relative obscurity), Meier decided to go extreme on the modernist ideals in his book.  At first, he would only build his houses out of wood.  Later, he switched to metal panels, which are cleaner looking and easier to keep up.  One thing has remained constant, however-  All of his building are completely and totally white (in his early years.  Lately he's loosened up to include unpainted wood or travertine), and, in my opinion, fantastic.  Of course I can talk all day.  The best way to discuss great architecture is through pictures.  First, the Rachofsky house in Dallas, originally built as a private bachelor pad in Dallas (with a personal art collection inside it), and is now the property of the Dallas Museum of Art.  You can visit sometime if you want.  And by that, I mean you SHOULD visit sometime if you have any love for me at all.

Meier also won a worldwide contest to design the Getty Art Institute in Los Angeles, but I'm not a huge fan of that, so I won't post it on here.  You can Google it.

What I will show you, though, is the Jubilee Church in Rome.  This church is quite possibly my favorite in the world.  So yeah, marvel.

A model showing what happens to the church at night

A New Modernism: The Architecture of Richard Meier

Ok guys, it's been a little while (sorry, no sleep for me the past week), but I'm back with a special treat.  The work of this man:

Richard Meier.  Architect and Badass

Meier is a big deal in the world of architecture.  He was part of the legendary New York Five, a group of five architects from (guess where?) New York who together published a book titled Five Architects in 1972, and impassioned and brilliant defense of modernism as Le Corbusier intended- that the house is a machine for living, lack of ornamentation, etc.

Of course, Meier took it to the extreme, which is why he's getting on this blog.

After the other four members left the strict modernism they preached in 1972 (Michael Graves for post modernism, Peter Eisenman for deconstructivism, and the other two for relative obscurity), Meier decided to go extreme on the modernist ideals in his book.  At first, he would only build his houses out of wood.  Later, he switched to metal panels, which are cleaner looking and easier to keep up.  One thing has remained constant, however-  All of his building are completely and totally white (in his early years.  Lately he's loosened up to include unpainted wood or travertine), and, in my opinion, fantastic.  Of course I can talk all day.  The best way to discuss great architecture is through pictures.  First, the Rachofsky house in Dallas, originally built as a private bachelor pad in Dallas (with a personal art collection inside it), and is now the property of the Dallas Museum of Art.  You can visit sometime if you want.  And by that, I mean you SHOULD visit sometime if you have any love for me at all.

Meier also won a worldwide contest to design the Getty Art Institute in Los Angeles, but I'm not a huge fan of that, so I won't post it on here.  You can Google it.

What I will show you, though, is the Jubilee Church in Rome.  This church is quite possibly my favorite in the world.  So yeah, marvel.

A model showing what happens to the church at night

Dallas Produced a Saint

So, story time.

Late one night, before I left for college, I was driving home to the little town of Howe (aka where dreams go to die) from the bustling metropolis of Dallas.  I forget what I was doing in the Dallas area, or even where I was coming from, but I do remember that I was listening to 102.1 the EDGE, driving through Allen, almost in McKinney (yes, there will be a quiz following this post).  I normally don't really like that station, but, as I remember, nothing else was on but talk radio.  Yes, it was late at night.  So late, apparently, that the dj decided it was time to have a little fun and play something... unexpected.  A local girl who went by the stage name of St Vincent.  This was the first song I heard by her:



And I was hooked.

Meet Annie Clark, or, as the world knows her by (the few who know her at all, at least)- St Vincent. 

Look into my eyes!

She was born in Tulsa Oklahoma, attended high school in Dallas (Lake Highlands High School, to be exact), attended the Berklee College of Music (before dropping out three years in), and currently lives in Manhatten.  Before releasing any solo work, she was a member of The Polyphonic Spree (who I admit I am not familiar).

But none of that really matters.  What matters is her music, and I can only find one way to describe it.

Genius

Her lyrics are engaging and emotional.  Her voice contains a raw power and is thick with emotion, even when she sings in her trademark monotone.  For example, check out the chorus to her song Marrow-



She doesn't even change notes in the chorus (H-E-L-P Help me, Help me), but it's full of a desperation that, I must admit, I could never pull off while singing.

The greatest thing about her music, in my opinion, is her masterful use of instrumentation.  The fact that she studied music is obvious, regardless of whether she finished the program or not.  The music has a distinct feeling of not matching while it harmonizes beautifully.  You have apocalyptic guitars mixed with somewhat humorous sounds made with... a synthesizer?  A horn?  I don't know, and, to be honest, I don't really care.  All I know is she is a master of that instrument, whatever it is.

Yes her songs are unusual.  They refuse to fit in any one genre of music.  The only thing I can say is that I hope she keeps making it!

In closing, I leave you with my favorite song by her (set to a disney video!).  Enjoy.

Designer: Tom Ford (Warning: Questionable image ahead)

So my first post is going to be about fashion, and, namely, about my favorite designer (of the moment)- Tom Ford.  Ford is famous for several things- he revitalized the Gucci line (for those shocked by these words, yes, there was a time not too long ago when Gucci was a joke and dangerously close to bankruptcy) by introducing a new concept (designs based on black orthogonal lines versus the traditional Gucci trademark of brown and circular), headed the Yves Saint-Laurent fashion house as it was starting up, and for releasing an Academy Award nominated film on his first try at directing and producing.  You try doing that.

Go see this movie.  It's okay, we'll wait.

Of course, all of that savvy business manning and directing take a backseat to his work as a designer.  Ford is especially famous for his suits, which are renowned for their perfect cuts and unexpected patterns and colors. 

Try find a better suit.  It's okay, we'll wait.

In fact, out of all of the men saying who they were wearing at the Academy Awards this past year, I don't think I heard any name mentioned as much as Ford's (except, perhaps, Hugo Boss).

Tom Ford also has a fragrance, a beauty line (in association with Estee Lauder), and an eye wear line that's quickly gaining popularity.

We can't figure out WHY it's so popular...

And all of this before the age of 50.  Wow!

The other thing about Tom Ford that's so great- besides the beauty line and eye wear, he designs exclusively for men.  There's very few designers who do that, and while I hate to take sides in a gender war, it's nice to have a designer who only does stuff for guys for a change.

His personal life is almost as impressive as his professional life.  He's a public face of the GLBT community, and him and his partner (Richard Buckley), have been together in a steady, monogamous relationship for 23 years, helping to break stereotypes that gay men are just guys who can't keep it in their pants.

Oh, and finally, there's the final fact that, at the age of 49, he looks like this.

You will never be as attractive as this man.

A Personal Manifesto

I am alive.  I am everything and nothing.  I am greater, I am less, I am human.

I believe in opulence.  I believe in the shimmer of a piece of silk in the wind.  I believe in the beauty of the human form, the wonder of a straight line, the perfection of a sphere.

I believe in equality- that everything can be beautiful if used correctly, that everyone can think of beautiful things and live in a way that displays knowledge and taste.  I believe in correct grammar, in the wonder of a well-taken photograph, in the innocence in a child's eyes and in the pain in his mother's.

I believe in the written word, for it is  water to the thirsty mind.

I believe in fashion, for it is the attempt to achieve perfection in the human form.

I believe in art, for it is the truest expression of thought.

I believe in music, for it is the truest expression of emotion.

I believe in theatre, film, and dance, for they are the culmination of the arts.

I believe in architecture and design, for they allow us to see what the world could become.

But above all, I believe in creativity, for it is proof of the eternal.

So, do you believe?