"Just connecting to beauty is consoling. You see that people don't only make wars; they can also create great works of art." Marieke Nijmanting
We were fortunate this winter to realize one of those life-time goals we all have. We visited Fallingwater in rural Pennsylvania. The day was a lovely, crisp 18 degrees. But the waterfall over which the house is built kept on flowing. The noise of nature a constant for the people who lived there. Somehow the freezing cold for two North Carolinians made it just that more memorable. This picture is taken from across the creek, looking back at the cantilevers that jut out from the body of the house and follow the waterfall itself.
Later in the week we went to the Guggenheim Museum across from Central Park in NYC. It is said that Wright was inspired by the nautilus shell in designing the spiral ramp. As someone with a twenty-year collection of sea shells, I resonated to that. The museum seems to be a spiritual place, with rhythm and movement, unfolding like an organism. Look at the rotunda skylight, letting in the sunshine through glass panes fashioned with the symmetry of a spider's web.
Central to the rotunda is an Alexander Calder (1898-1976) mobile called Red Lily Pads. After we saw it, I did some research. It reminds many of leaves skimming a pond. Ovoid disks floating parallel to the earth in a way that echoes the unpredictable activity of nature. What amazingly simple beauty. We took the elevator to the top ramp then walked slowly down, enjoying the mobile from every level. Something millions of people from all over the world have done.
So much to be thankful for. Great architecture and art. The freedom to visit and enjoy it. Armchair travel. Photography. The seasons. Some days blessings abound.
A fire burned in the open hearth and the furniture was swathed in fur rugs and blankets. A true house built upon a rock.
The shadows cast in the winter sunlight were stark with symmetry. See how they crisscross? It seemed like a very livable home, one that, even with the expanse of open space would cozen you in winter and free you in summer. We were awed.
Later in the week we went to the Guggenheim Museum across from Central Park in NYC. It is said that Wright was inspired by the nautilus shell in designing the spiral ramp. As someone with a twenty-year collection of sea shells, I resonated to that. The museum seems to be a spiritual place, with rhythm and movement, unfolding like an organism. Look at the rotunda skylight, letting in the sunshine through glass panes fashioned with the symmetry of a spider's web.
Central to the rotunda is an Alexander Calder (1898-1976) mobile called Red Lily Pads. After we saw it, I did some research. It reminds many of leaves skimming a pond. Ovoid disks floating parallel to the earth in a way that echoes the unpredictable activity of nature. What amazingly simple beauty. We took the elevator to the top ramp then walked slowly down, enjoying the mobile from every level. Something millions of people from all over the world have done.
So much to be thankful for. Great architecture and art. The freedom to visit and enjoy it. Armchair travel. Photography. The seasons. Some days blessings abound.
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