In anticipation of a presentation I am giving to an Architectural group next week I have drawn a series on Architecture. I am also highlighting the architect who gave us the quote.
Le Corbusier is an interesting architect for the 21st century to consider. His work often is disparaged as machine-like and soulless or as boring and mundane. But often those estimations are given with some ignorance of the radical nature of his contribution during his era.
Citizen Kane
I remember my daughter going through the AFI top 100 films of all time when she was younger. She wanted to watch as many as she could. Number #1 on the list was ‘Citizen Kane’ by Orson Welles. We looked forward to it with anticipation for weeks. When we finally saw it we were very disappointed. There was no way we thought it was the best movie of all time.
But when we found out a bit more about the movie and how it was made, we came to understand why at the time, and for a long time after, it was considered the greatest. It was because it broke so much new ground in story telling, cinematography, lighting, plot, acting, etc. It just broke the mold in so many ways. But guess what? It was so amazing that it got copied incessantly over the next 50 years. So much so that when we look at it now we see a lot of very typical techniques and methods that don’t surprise us at all. They have been repeated ad nauseum and we have been jaded. But if you look at the movie with having never seen all the decades of watered down repetition, then you see it’s singular status as a great movie.
What Was New is No Longer
That is how it is with the work of Le Corbusier. We have seen so much of what he did watered down into the typical boring building block of a building. It’s starkness and emptiness is copied but without the incredible innovation of material and philosophy that Le Corbusier had at the time.
All this is not to say I love all his work. I think much of it is boring and dead and philosophically dated. But the essence of his vision is an amazing one, even if the execution tended to be more stolid and ugly.
Some Examples
Villa Savoye – 1928 – Poissy-sur-Seine, France
He had 5 points to his new architectural aesthetic that were all embodied in this home. As a result it became one of the most recognizable buildings in the ‘International Style’ and influenced thousands of buildings to come.
Support of ground-level columns to allow continuity of the garden beneath.
Functional roof serving as a garden and terrace.
Free floor plan with few load-bearing walls.
Long horizontal windows.
Freely-designed facades.
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The Curutchet House – 1949 – La Plata, Argentina
If you want an idea of how radical Le Corbusier was, just look at the home next to the one he built. That was the norm of the era and he created this rectangular skeleton of a building that brought in a lot of light in a very odd shaped lot.
Curutchet House – Front
Curutchet House – model
You can see here how it went back from the front at what is almost a 45º angle. A unique solution, no doubt.
Curutchet House – Inside view looking towards the front.
I saw an episode of a TV show called ‘Extreme Builds’ last week. They built the house while keeping a tree that happened to be right in the middle of one of the bedrooms. Here Le Corbusier did the same many decades before.
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Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut – 1950 – Ronchamp, France
Le Corbusier developed a much more fluid and organic building when he was commissioned to do a religious chapel. It’s innovative construction techniques allow the roof to look like it’s floating when it is actually held up by support columns.
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Unité d’Habitation – 1947 – Marseille, France
Unite d’Habitation
Unite d’Habitation – Plaza Wall
Unite d’Habitation – rooftop – Children’s wading pool, penthouse and ventilation tower.
Le Corbusier built 4 versions of this same apartment building throughout Europe. It’s use of rough concrete (Beton Brut) brought on the phenomenon known as Brutalist Architecture.
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Centre Le Corbusier (Heidi Weber Museum) – 1963
This building was built by Le Corbusier to highlight his architectural work and his archives.
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Le Corbusier also was involved in the design of the United Nations headquarters in New York. I did not include it because he was not the predominant architect on the project. He did have substantial say in the overall layout of the buildings in the allotted space.
If you are interested in not just the history of Architecture, but the history of social engineering and how architecture played a role in those efforts during the 20th century Le Corbusier is one of the essential designers you need to be familiar with. He is well worth investigating not just for his buildings but for his wide-spread influence in so many fields of creative and commercial endeavors.
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Here are the other Architects and historians I’ve written about so far:
Later this month I am presenting my drawings at an event put on by the Young Architects Forum of AIA Eastern Oklahoma, A Chapter of the American Institute of Architects here in Tulsa. The event is called CHiTCHaT 10 and it is 20 images, 20 seconds each. So, about 7 minutes total.
Because of the nature of the group I thought it would be fun to create a few drawings just for the presentation. I created a series titled ‘Architecture Is’ that had a quote from a famous architect that was being spoken by actual buildings.
The quote is by Julia Morgan, an amazing architect who built mostly in California. She’s best known for having been the chief architect on the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. She collaborated with Hearst for 28 years on it.
She built extensively around the San Francisco Bay Area. Remember I mentioned recently that I stayed at an Airbnb location in Berkeley when visiting my daughter Chelsea? Well, I was being given the tour of that house and was in the back yard when the host pointed to the house immediately behind her and mentioned it was built by Morgan. It was just the back of the house and it didn’t have a lot of definition but I could definitely tell it was in that Arts and Crafts / Craftsman style she was primarily known for in most of her residential work. I would have liked to been able to get in to see the interior. The East Bay of the SF Bay Area has an amazing collection of residences in that style. I think it’s more beautiful than the Victorian style you see more often in the actual city of San Francisco.
Some Firsts
Julia Morgan was the first woman to:
Graduate for UC Berkeley with a degree in Civil Engineering
Graduate from the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in Architecture
Receive the AIA God Medal
Some Buildings
Here are a few photographs of her buildings.
Merrill Hall, Asilomar Conference Center, Monterey, California – 1928
Asilomar Lodge Interior
Morgan built 16 buildings at what originally the YWCA Conference grounds at Asilomar. 13 of them still remain. It is a now State Park in California.
Mills College Campanil (Bell Tower), Oakland, California – 1904
This bell tower was the first on a college campus in the US and the first building made of reinforced concrete on the west coast. It survived the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California
Julia Morgan worked in Hearst Castle for 28 years (1919-1947), only stopping when Hearst ran out of money and left San Simeon for good.
Berkeley City Club Swimming Pool, Berkeley, California
Indoor pools were very much in style back in the 20s and 30s. I stayed at an Airbnb place in Tehachapi, California last month that had one and it was great to swim in! You can see it here.
Sacramento house, on Sacremento State University campus, 1920s
Sacramento house -1920s-interior
Residential Home, Presidio area of San Francisco
Redwood Grove house
Julia Morgan did an prodigious amount of work. This selection barely scratches the surface. Do a google search on her and read up, she’s an amazing architect.
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Here are the other Architects and historians I’ve written about so far:
Liz didn’t grow up in the church but she had been attending for many years.
Chapter One
She got the dress from a new online shopping service. She loved it and was excited to wear it to church where she was going to get up on the alter and report about the youth choir.
Chapter Two
As they got out of the car in the church parking lot her husband said, “I just noticed that two of those little donut circle things on your dress look like your nipples. They’re right where they would be.”
Liz gave him the death stare. “WHY ON EARTH would you say that to me right now, even if it is true?” She said. “You know I am going to be completely self-conscious about that now! You can be such an unthinking idiot sometimes.”
Chapter Three
By the time the pastor called her up onto the alter she had already suffered through 20 minutes of panic. As she walked up she saw her four choir friends sitting on the side, waiting to go on and do their quartet devotional. She looked at them looking at her and she knew they saw the same thing as her husband. She turned to face the congregation blushing a deep crimson. There was nothing she could do about it.
Chapter Four
She forgot to tell the congregation what time the youth choir concert was going to be and forgot to explain about the fundraising needed to send the kids to choir camp next summer. She tripped on her way back down the stairs but caught herself before she fell. She sat down next to her husband, who whispered that she did a great job and no worries about the dress, it wasn’t obvious at all. She wanted to kick him in the balls.
Chapter Five
Afterwards, everyone said she did a great job. Many of the women complemented her dress and asked where she got it. Two guys from her husband’s mens group also complemented the dress. She wanted to kick them in the balls too. She dragged her husband out of the Fellowship Hall the second the niceties were over.
Chapter Six
Her husband was in the dog house for the whole week. As a result he missed out on their weekly night for having sex. She told him that he deserved far worse so he better not complain.
Epilogue
In later years Liz said that it was that moment, as odd as it sounds, that changed the direction of her life. She ended up leaving her husband and her church a year later. She moved to Florida with their kids, taking a job as a music teacher at an inner city high school. She started caring much less about what people might be thinking of her and her clothes and as a result was very happy. She ended up having polka dots and circles in almost everything she wore.
People tend to put professional photography into a very serious box. It’s used to show the worst of humanity and nature, a very serious thing. It is also used to show the highlights of both, which ironically is usually just as serious. It is true that in recent years, with the advent of the cell phone camera and the internet, everyday snapshots of very funny events and juxtapositions have proliferated. But in professional photography, seriousness still is given the top shelf on which to reside. It’s not that different than in cinema. Funny movies and comedic actors just don’t get the same level of respect and reward as do those that are serious.
But, in spite of that, we still have great comedic movies and actors. We also have some very funny photographers. Foremost among them in my mind is Elliot Erwitt. He is one of my all time favorite photographers. He spent 50+ years as one of the preeminent photographers photographing the world. He was a founding member of Magnum, the elite photography agency started by Robert Capa mid-twentieth century. He eventually became its president. He took some of the most iconic and important political and social photographs of that century. He was a VERY serious photographer. At the same time he was the least serious photographer you will ever find.
The perspective of Erwitt is not to be purposely funny. It’s to record a world that has interesting juxtapositions that can sometimes be very funny. They can also be poignant and stark in their irony and pathos as they reveal the human condition.
Dogs and other animals
No one has ever been better at capturing the humanity of the Dog and other animals.
I have been drawing and photographing the nude figure since I was 17 years old in High School. As I matured, one of my goals in doing the nude has been to juxtapose the inherent sensuality of the nude with something that offsets it. It can be humor, a unique visual perspective or something disturbing. I want there to be an element that draws people away from the sensuality just enough to make them stop and think about it. I was inspired in that direction in no small part due to Erwitt and other photographers ability to do that so successfully.
I have focused only on what I think are his humorous pieces. He took photos of some of the worlds most important leaders and entertainers as well as some of the iconic national moments in America. If you like what you see here, do an information or image search of Elliot Erwitt. There are fantastic collections of his work out there as well as revealing articles and histories of his place in 20th century photography. He’s well worth exploring further.
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You can see and read the entire ‘Artists I love’ series here or by going through the list below.
How did The Napkin Dad end up being such a sexy hunk modeling a ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt?
This is a photo of me taken by Steve Cluck, a Tulsa artist and entrepreneur. One element of his business is producing and selling the famous ‘Don’t Hat the 918’ t-shirts (for those of you out of the state or the country, 918 is Tulsa’s telephone area code). He is doing a photography project that consists of 918 people from the Tulsa area wearing his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ shirt.
Beth
A few months ago a friend of mine, Beth Hawkins of Beth Hawkins Video and Photography, posted a request on Facebook looking for some people to be in a promotional video she was shooting downtown. It was on a day I had to be in Tulsa to coach so it would be easy to just go a few hours early and take part, which I did.
Beth Hawkins
Steve
One of the other people acting in the video was Steve Cluck, who I had never met. We had to wait while shots were set up and got to talking about his t-shirt business and my Napkin Dad endeavors. He told me about his project to photograph 918 people from Tulsa in his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt. When I explained who I was he recognized my moniker and invited me to participate.
That was enough for me and a few months later Linda and I went over to his studio and took the shots.
Steve Cluck
Showing Up
Have you ever heard the old saying “90% of success is just showing up.”? Well, it’s true. I answered Beth’s call because I like her and want to support her in her work. I also thought it would be fun. She also promised free pizza so there’s that too. Showing up is not just about showing up for things you are obligated to show up for, that should be a given. It’s also about being proactive and grabbing hold of things to show up for. Using your own initiative to go do something, to help, to participate, to explore your world. The results are usually unexpected and positive, as in meeting and networking with people who are good for your business, your social life, and your friendships.
What do you think? Does it? I am torn, not sure if I believe it does or not. I can see it can help with some forms of unhappiness but then again plenty of very wealthy people still suffer from being severely unhappy and the money does nothing to help so I don’t know.
Family
I know my family had probably it’s worst continuous years of unhappiness when we were the wealthiest. In particular my mother’s suffering seemed to get much worse when we had more money, not better. But I don’t really know what it would have been like during those years if we had had less money so it’s hard to pin it on the wealth.
Your thoughts?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote/question is adapted from a quote by Roberto Gervaso, 1937 – not dead yet, Italian political commentator and journalist
Hello Napkin Kin! Here is the end of the road trip posts.
Day 7
Today I leave Berkeley and head back home to Oklahoma. I am sad to leave so soon, having only spent less than 4 full days with Chelsea and her new family. But with a total of 6 days on the road, it makes for a long time away from home.
I woke up to a beautiful and cool Berkeley morning. Another person was staying at the Airbnb that night and we had met the evening before. She was a runner so we had a great conversation about it, including a bit of coaching from me about injury recovery. She mentioned she was going to go on a run the next morning, up the the same park I had done my trail run the day before. I didn’t ask if she wanted a running partner because I didn’t think we knew each other well enough to get in the car together and go traipsing off into the woods. However, when she got back from her run she said she had decided to just skip the trip to the park and run right from the house. Then I wish I had gone on the run with her! Instead I toasted another runner who happened by as I was packing.
I said adios to Mr. Otis, telling him to take good care of his mama and daddy.
Then I took a selfie with Chelsea in the bright morning sun of Berkeley and said my goodbyes as I drove off into the sunrise!
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On the Road Again
Photo courtesy of Airbnb and Denise (homeowner)
It took me most of the day to drive to Arizona. I rolled in to the Airbnb in Lake Havasu City and I had time to go see the famous London Bridge that they bought from London and transported piece by piece to Lake Havasu and reconstructed. I had dinner overlooking it. The home was a nice place on a golf course but they had large dogs that barked into the night, right outside my room, that made sleeping not so easy for a while. Luckily they either fell asleep or the owner brought them into his room and I eventually got a good night’s sleep.
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Day 8
I was out the door and ready to get rolling as the sun rose over the desert. I had a long way to go to get to my destination in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
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Trinity and American Pie
I went a secondary route through much of Arizona and New Mexico, south of the usual Route 40 headed east. I was listening to a audio book and not paying much attention when I passed a sign that barely caught my eye. I stopped and did a u-turn to see if it was what I thought it was.
And it was. It was Trinity. The spot of the very first explosion of an atomic bomb. That is one of the most momentous moments in world history, as well as US war history. I just stood there and thought about how that moment changed the world in so many ways. It’s humbling to be in a spot like that, especially one that is so profoundly peaceful, quiet and serene, and realize the violence and unforeseen consequences that came from that moment.
I continued down the 2 lane highway for hours, seeing almost no traffic at all. But then, I turned a long sweeping arch and found myself smack dab in the middle of a party. Hundreds of cars and people parked on the side of the road in ‘Pie Town, New Mexico. I think the actual town consists of just this store, the ‘Pie-o-neer’.
It turns out there was a pie festival with contests and awards, pie making demos and more. I didn’t see much of that but I did walk among the booths and found a couple good things to bring home for Linda.
This lady, Cindy Yarmal, was selling veggies on the front porch of the pie shop while tourists mingled and a good ol’ boy band played some tunes on the other end of the porch. I asked her if I could take her photo and she obliged me. After I sat and enjoyed a slice of Blackberry pie as the world swirled around me.
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Snowcap Adobe
I arrived at ‘The Snowcap Adobe’ just as the sun had set. I had contacted the owner, Susan, earlier in the day to let her know my time of arrival and she told me she had her best friend over and chili on the stove, asking if I would want some for dinner instead of having to find food before I arrived. That was a welcomed idea and I took her up on it!
Photo courtesy of Airbnb and Susan (homeowner)
Her home was amazing. It was built by her family many decades ago and she had updated it in recent years to make it a welcoming spot for travelers. It felt homey and warm. The three of us sat at her kitchen counter and she told me the story of her family and her home. Susan was a great story teller, especially about her grandfather, a well known artist in the mid-twentieth century regionalist tradition. She had even done her Ph.D. thesis on his use of symbolism in his art.
Photo courtesy of Airbnb and Susan (homeowner)
This was my bedroom for the night, comfortable and genuine New Mexico.
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Day 9 – Headed Home
Finally I was on my last day. I once again left early, before Susan had awoke. This is an early morning view of her solarium that her mother tended while she was still alive. It is still filled with plants but Susan says she forgets to water them. There are a lot of plants, I probably would too.
I drove northeast through rural New Mexico and Texas until I reached Amarillo. During that stretch I found one last interesting place. Alanbeen, Texas was a gas station and a motel. That was it as far as I could tell. The station said it was the post office too so I think that pretty much says it all.
The gas station consisted of one pump. Surprisingly it did take credit cards. But I couldn’t pass up the chance to go into the convenience store so I let it run and went inside.
And good thing I did, because otherwise I would have missed this sexy Texas miss smiling at me! The place was a hoot, covered top to bottom with stuff, most old Texas memorabilia and trinkets.
And then was a beeline home. I arrived in time to have dinner and relax, hear about Linda’s bachelorette week and show her some photos of Mr. Otis!
And that’s the end of this road trip! Next stop will be the opposite coast to visit my OTHER grandchild, Vivian. Not sure when that will be but I will let you know.
Continuing my epic road trip to California and back…
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Day 6
By day 3 in Berkeley I had a rhythm of going to the French Hotel and Coffee Bar on Shattuck to pick up some pastries and coffee, then heading over to Chelsea’s house. She seemed thankful for the Cafe Mocha that morning but it sort of looks like Otis is in need of it even more.
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One of the cool things about staying at Airbnb spots is seeing homes uniquely designed.
My hosts in Berkeley had devised a pretty cool way to both display and have available their collection of earrings. they simply hooked them on the bottom of the sheer curtain in the guest bathroom. I don’t know if it originally was a way to keep the curtain weighted when the window was open and the wind was blowing, but it made for a fun and unexpected design element in the bathroom.
And here was another design element in the bathroom I thought was pretty cool. It was a functional art piece on the wall and I liked it! And no, I did not steal any of the belts, though the green one was tempting!
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Graham had to rehearse for a big show he was going to be in so Chelsea, Otis and I took a foray into the hills of Berkeley. We went up to the very top of the area, to Tilden Regional Park. It is a beautiful and serene spot not at all far from the bustle of the East Bay. We chose Lake Anza because Chelsea could sit and nurse Otis while I went on a run around the lake and presumably I would not get lost. I took a few spurs off the lake not realizing it but I made my way back without too much consternation on anyone’s part.
This is about a 3rd of the way around the lake. Chelsea and Otis are just to the right of the marker in the water in the middle of the image. On the left is a popular beach that allows you to swim in the lake. It even has lap lanes beyond the play swim area. I thought that was a pretty cool idea.
Right after taking the vista shot of the lake I turned was about to restart my run when I found this fellow fetching balls while wearing a doggie floatie vest. I immediately thought of a friend of mine back in Tulsa, Rosemary Dougherty, who has a serious love affair with all things bulldog. I knew it would make her happy to see him and it did.
In the meanwhile, this is the trail I was running. I thought I was going to be running a flat trail around a lake, but it was anything but. It was a challenge! I twisted my foot at one point but didn’t really feel it until that night and it wasn’t serious.
When I returned Otis was a happy camper, as you can tell!
After Otis was filled we took a hike down Chelsea’s favorite trail. It was easier than the running trail I found, that is for sure. We think of redwoods as being in big forests all by themselves but throughout Northern California there are many places they grow in and among a wide range of trees. Tilden Park is one of those places.
Along the trail we found an old pump house. I loved the stone around the empty window and had Chelsea and Otis sit in it for a portrait.
I got Chelsea to take one of me as well.
Chelsea kept Otis in the wrap for the entire hike. It was long and got a bit warm by Berkeley standards (still felt cool to someone from Oklahoma though). It translated into both of them being very tired when we returned to her apartment and they settled into a nice nap.
While they slept Graham and I walked down to Shattuck Avenue, to an area of Berkeley known as the Gourmet Ghetto. Destination: The Cheese Board. As you can tell from the line in the photo, it is a popular place. It sells only one type of pizza per day. No choice. It’s listed on a board but all those people in line? They don’t check first to see what the type is for that day. They know it will be great and they are going to get it no matter what. We were the same way. Turned out ours was fantastic, with guacamole and cilantro and peppers and sausage (if I remember correctly). YUM! They also had a cool jazz band playing. It was quintessential Berkeley.
Later that night Otis’ Godmother Lina came over to see Otis and meet me for the first time. We hung around for a long time talking about all sorts of things. She had just returned from her umpteenth time at Burning Man so she had lots of stories to tell. Chelsea and she gave me the low down on how to prepare and experience Burning Man in case I ever make it to the event. I want to and hope to within the next few years!
Recently I did a fitness photo shoot at Chandler Park here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was using the shoot as a scouting trip for a larger shoot I am planning with my PHOTOG group I help lead here in town.
I was originally thinking of the shoot as being runners and cyclists but then decided Yoga would be best in an environment of rocks, cliffs and tree roots.
I knew A friend of mine, BR, who had modeled for me before, was doing Yoga regularly and asked her if, once again, she would model for me. She was more than up for it and these photos are the result of our collaboration.
It was fun, but it was not an easy shoot. The landscape was rocky, with fallen trees, sheer rock faces and trails that went up and down at steep angles. In addition it was a hot and steamy morning that had us sweating from the git go. While I had to carry a camera and a few bags and that took some effort, BR did the bulk of the hard work, posing in intense yoga poses, climbing up and down high stone monoliths, balancing on very small spaces very high up. She’s a fantastic muse who inspires me with her courage, creativity, intelligence, beauty and fitness.
Hidden Yoga
Around this same time I gave a lecture at my photo group called ‘The Photo Essay’ in which I explained some details of what constitutes a photo essay and what gave examples from photographers past and present.
I chose a small group of images from my Yoga shoot that I felt held together as an essay on the idea of the yoga practitioner being hidden in the landscape.
Yoga on the Rocks
There were a number of other photos where BR was not so well hidden. That group is titled ‘Yoga on the Rocks’. Here is a selection.
Through it all BR kept a smile (except when I asked her not to) and a great attitude!
After a bit of time away from drawing I am back on my Wealth Series.
Without
A typical biography will often have a line in it that goes something like this, “We didn’t have much money growing up, but we never felt poor.” Why is that? Why do some poor families feel poor and others not? What is it that divides them?
Who is Wealthy?
Of course, necessities are one thing. People who don’t have a safe roof over their heads, who can’t get enough to eat, likely they feel as poor as they are. But just up from that level of poverty, what about the family who can’t afford vacations or new cars or cable TV or new clothes? Why do one of those families feel poor and another not? I would think often it would be about comparisons made with others. Not necessarily by the kids, but by the parents. The parents might be constantly saying, “I wish we had this, or I wish we could do that.”
The Never Ending Climb
You would think that wouldn’t be a big deal the wealthier you get. But the truth is it gets MORE severe the more money you have. One family takes ski vacations to Aspen, but your family can only afford to ski locally in Vermont. Sounds silly that one would feel deprived, but if the parents are constantly harping on how they can’t afford something then the kids will learn they indeed don’t have enough no matter how much they have.
Appreciation and Gratitude vs Envy
The key for me is appreciation and gratitude. For example, I appreciate my little charcoal grill out back. I don’t look at it and see that I don’t have the same giant gas grill my friend has, I look at it and see the enjoyment I am getting from cooking on it. I am grateful for it. If someday I need a new grill I will figure out how big I need it to be for me and my family and I will do my best to get that grill. But it won’t be because of envy over what someone else has, it will be based on my need and what I can afford. And I will be happy with that.
