What an extraordinary life and talent. You may not have ever heard of Philip Johnson, but there's a good chance you may have experienced his work. In 1956, he collaborated with Mies van der Rohe as the New York associate architect for the 39-story Seagram Building. It would be his first of several postmodern masterpieces that would adorn New York City. Others include the the AT&T Building (now the Sony Building) and the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. He perfected the harmony of glass and metal in structures. Still, it wasn't an overshadowing skyscraper that would be his masterpiece, but a s
mall home in Connecticut. In 1949, Johnson designed and built a home for himself with exterior walls that were entirely glass. "The Glass House" (worth clicking the link) is an essay in minimal structure, geometry, proportion, and the effects of transparency and reflection. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997. The house was the place of Philip Johnson's passing in 2005 at the age of 98. After Johnson's death ownership of the Glass House passed to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which opened it to visitors in April 2007. I painted this portrait of Johnson in May of '94. It was the first of what would become many 20"w x 24"h portraits. I just like the size. It creates a decent environment. As did Johnson.
No comments:
Post a Comment