tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post7787482952827898601..comments2024-02-17T04:06:00.805-05:00Comments on Just Not Said: I. M. confusedJohn Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-82822555114711430942011-07-16T13:59:09.646-04:002011-07-16T13:59:09.646-04:00You see the same thing in advertising. Some of the...You see the same thing in advertising. Some of the people who work in that field see themselves as artists, and lose sight of the fact that they're tradesmen.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-30483998953778731822011-07-16T13:51:26.747-04:002011-07-16T13:51:26.747-04:00There are good architects and good buildings but i...There are good architects and good buildings but it's a profession, like other design professions, that lets its practitioners get away with all kinds of self-indulgence and pretension. I didn't read The Fountainhead but I was forced to watch the movie, which in part is about an architect who, having learned that a building he designed wasn't build exactly according to his design, tempestuously blows it up. Right, as if the person or company that commissioned the design and put up the money for it has no say over what the final building looks like!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-44341877806431000012011-07-08T22:28:39.088-04:002011-07-08T22:28:39.088-04:00Well, you've got me there; I've never seen...Well, you've got me there; I've never seen it in person. But from the proportions in the picture Jon linked, the amount of roof/"attic" area vs. the amount of side area seem to be similar.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-2473146496699887212011-07-08T20:23:14.878-04:002011-07-08T20:23:14.878-04:00I used to hang out quite a bit at the WWS, and it ...I used to hang out quite a bit at the WWS, and it didn't feel Parthenon at all: columns too spindly rising to meet in almost an arch at the base of the top floor. Not nearly enough solidity, strength and squareness for a Parthenon. And the fountain!<br />GAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-77880489241301827342011-07-08T20:16:05.386-04:002011-07-08T20:16:05.386-04:00G --
I'm sticking with the fake Parthenon moti...G --<br />I'm sticking with the fake Parthenon motif. Blending in with the surroundings was never a motivation for Pei; he always seemed to want to just stand out as much as possible, to make as big a splash as he possibly could, which he figured (rightly) would augment his reputation the most. And to forestall critics, he would hide behind all that bs about how his buildings were monuments to the people, etc.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-65267943065297982512011-07-08T20:02:40.149-04:002011-07-08T20:02:40.149-04:00WWS always felt somewhat Islamic to me - like the ...WWS always felt somewhat Islamic to me - like the HQ of a Middle Eastern corporation with its flashy pool and fountain, sitting incongruously beside the Gothic faux Brit of the main campus. No inspirational Doric vibe here.<br />GAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-45566902550826921152011-07-07T17:10:50.429-04:002011-07-07T17:10:50.429-04:00Jon --
It looks as if it's supposed to be an u...Jon --<br />It looks as if it's supposed to be an updated version of the Parthenon. But, like all of his buildings, it's designed to be a statement about Pei rather than a livable, workable space. Pei is a modern artist masquerading as an architect, and he disguises that fact with high flown statements like the ones I quoted in the post, for instance, about how a certain building is supposed to be an image of the the people of Dallas. It's a little like the way a scoundrel hides behind the flag: if you dislike my design, it means you dislike the people of Dallas. The thing is, all of those buildings are nothing more than monuments to himself. If there aren't enough windows for the people on the inside to get natural light, tough.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-83775784781567281962011-07-07T17:00:09.288-04:002011-07-07T17:00:09.288-04:00Pei also designed the Woodrow Wilson school at Pri...Pei also designed the Woodrow Wilson school at Princeton. It does look lovely from the outside.<br /><br />http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lera.com/pimg/woodrowwilson/3649313_large.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lera.com/projects/usnj/woodrowwilson.htm&usg=__qS_h_EI3ASKW-oTaKfcWsYHfn8I=&h=335&w=600&sz=43&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=Y1pk9H2167SQrM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=188&ei=Ax4WTuwjguqBB6KczBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dwoodrow%2Bwilson%2Bschool%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1W1SKPB_en%26biw%3D1247%26bih%3D495%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=551&vpy=146&dur=2419&hovh=168&hovw=301&tx=169&ty=118&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&biw=1247&bih=495<br /><br />Unfortunately, it looks awful from the inside.Jonathan Leafnoreply@blogger.com