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Soon after 1900 in both North America and Europe the evolution from the tradition of Mediterranean and Gallic architectural styles to modernism began. This phenomenon was due, in part, to American industrial architecture and the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright's building and architectural treatises of 1898-1908, with the additional help of Dutch propaganda on his behalf, significantly influenced European practitioners and theorists. European architecture within and outside of Holland reflects an adaptation of Wright's theories along with the structural determinism of American industrial buildings. With new evidence and fresh analysis culled from Dutch and American archives, personal correspondence, and professional material, this study examines the weight of Wright's works and words and those of the Dutchmen H.P. Berlage, Theo van Doesburg, Jan Wils, J.J.P. Oud, William Dudok, and Hendrik Theodor Wijdeveld.
This new insight on the effects of Wright's architectural theories and designs, coupled with an extensive guide for further research, will attract art and architecture scholars and historians on both sides of the Atlantic and will also be of interest to social historians, artists, and architects. Events and new theories, including the assertion that Hendrik Theodor Wijdeveld was the catalytic source behind Wright's Taliesin Fellowship established in 1932, are presented in clear accessible language. Tied to the text are numerous visual presentations of significant designs and buildings.
List of contents
Foreword by Niels Luning Prak
Preface
Fin de Siècle Turmoil
Discovery
Immediate Reaction
Insights: Jan Wils
Serious Looks, Passing Glances
Wijdeveld: A Bright Prospect
Wijdeveld: Eye to Eye
The Show
Turnings
Fellowship
Many Fellowships
Wijdeveld in America
Sixty Years of Living Architecture
Appendix A: Some Wright-Influenced Buildings in The Netherlands
Appendix B: Wright to Wijdeveld, 21 October 1947
Appendix C: Wijdeveld's An International Guide, Santpoort, 1931
Appendix D: The Taliesin Fellowship Constitution, 1932
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Personal Names
About the author
DONALD LANGMEAD is an adjunct professor at Louis Laybourne Smith School of Design, University of South Australia. Now retired, his primary training is as an architect, although he has spent most of his professional life in academia. He holds postgraduate qualifications in city planning, and the history of architecture. Langmead has published nine books in the field (four as joint author) in Australia and the USA, as well as many articles in Australian and overseas journals.
