LE BLOGGEUR

The Glass House

I was very excited to get an email last night announcing that tickets for the annual opening of Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan Connecticut were on sale. The Glass House is considered to be a seminal moment in 20th century architecture and stands as a very elegant and enduring symbol of Modernist architecture. Constructed in 1949 on Johnson's own estate, the 56 by 32 foot steel framed glass box was heavily influenced by the work of Mies van der Rohe. It embraced the simple idea that by rendering the walls in glass the divisions between inside and outside are eroded and a powerful connection with the landscape is created. In effect the wooded parklands beyond the house become its wallpaper - ever changing with the light and seasons. Later in his career Johnson would move away from this austere modernism towards an architectural lexicon more heavily influenced by neo-classicism, evident in the NY State Theatre and the Lincoln Centre and the monolithic A T and T building on Madison Avenue with its 'Chippendale' pediment. 

Anyone who thinks that modern architecture is cold and impersonal should visit this ravishing house. It makes me long for a glass box to call my own!

Tickets for the Glass House and other information about the estate can be found at here

Read the NY Times obit of Johnson's long and distinguished life here

 

A Single Man

I have long been a fan of Tom Ford's aesthetic and was excited to hear that he was making his first foray into film after years as a much lauded fashion designer. The result is A Single Man based on the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. Unlike the most famous adaptation of a story by Isherwood to the silver screen, Cabaret, A Single Man is set in the suburban sprawl of 1960s California. Interestingly Isherwood dedicated the original novel to that Lion of American letters, Gore Vidal, who was most recently the subject of a withering critique by Christopher Hitchens in a Feb 2010's Vanity Fair article entitled Vidal Loco. In their review The Times has referred to the film as 'a thing of heart-stopping beauty,' and the Oscar buzz has already started for the stars of the piece, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Not bad for a directorial debut - I count the days until I can see it and judge for myself. 

Wilkommen, Bienvenue

New year, new blog. This is the first post of hopefully many which will cover the gamut of my favourite things in the worlds of film, art, politics, architecture, fashion and design. Too schizoid? A little, but bear with me.