Andrew asked me what I thought about Hundertwasser, the modern German painter-turned-architect. Well, I like some of his pictures . The one above is interesting.
I also like his small-scale architecture. The public bathroom above is brilliant. The idea of using a tree to symbolize urination is wonderfull. No doubt the public urinal is the focal point of the entire street. I also like the trim which looks like the kind of beautiful bead bracelets that little kids make out of painted macaroni.
I also like this corner restaurant (above). Hundertwasser's buildings make a great contrast to other styles. That's what he's best at. In my opinion a whole neighborhood in his style would be too much.
Here's a nifty wedding cake of a building (above).
I'm not a fan of his larger works, like the one above. Take away the colorfull, melted tile facade and you're left with fairly banal buildings. Architecture is mainly about interesting three-dimensional shapes and spaces, not quirky facades. Architects should revel in the idea of space and travel all over the world collecting interesting experiences of it. They shouldn't be seduced into a too literal transcription of ideas that only look good in two-dimensional drawings.
His large-scale, Nabi-neo-art-nouveau apartment exteriors (above) are terrible. I wish he'd return to small-scale work.
Andrew asked me what I thought about Hundertwasser, the modern German painter-turned-architect. Well, I like some of his pictures . The one above is interesting.
I also like his small-scale architecture. The public bathroom above is brilliant. The idea of using a tree to symbolize urination is wonderfull. No doubt the public urinal is the focal point of the entire street. I also like the trim which looks like the kind of beautiful bead bracelets that little kids make out of painted macaroni.
I also like this corner restaurant (above). Hundertwasser's buildings make a great contrast to other styles. That's what he's best at. In my opinion a whole neighborhood in his style would be too much.
Here's a nifty wedding cake of a building (above).
I'm not a fan of his larger works, like the one above. Take away the colorfull, melted tile facade and you're left with fairly banal buildings. Architecture is mainly about interesting three-dimensional shapes and spaces, not quirky facades. Architects should revel in the idea of space and travel all over the world collecting interesting experiences of it. They shouldn't be seduced into a too literal transcription of ideas that only look good in two-dimensional drawings.
His large-scale, Nabi-neo-art-nouveau apartment exteriors (above) are terrible. I wish he'd return to small-scale work.
So that's the urinal you were all excited about....I see. It's interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt's like living in a cartoon - it would be fun for awhile, but I think the novelty might wear off pretty quickly if I actually lived in one of those places. I'll stick with Pinocchio's Village, thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Eddie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words over at my place.
I'll send you some of the pictures from Spain, it was great.
Have you been?
Vincent
Vincent: Been in Spain? No, not really. I was in Mallorca once. My most memorable image of that island was a narrow, winding seaside street and a bunch of houses that were right up to the pounding surf. A six foot high wall was the only thing that prevented the sea from smashing the houses to smithereens. The waves smashed against the wall with explosive force while bored-looking kids played on the other side.
ReplyDeleteThose are cool. The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is sort of like that, but not as colorful. I just got back from Tokyo where I saw just about every kind of architecture you can imagine sometimes all at the same time, within a very narrow frame of vision.
ReplyDeleteThe strangest most epic vista was looking back from the peaceful gardens of the Imperial Palace to the massive glass-and-steel skyscrapers of the commercial district nearby. Oh... and the station there is in this red brick European style based on a station in Amsterdam. It was built back in the 1910s or so, so it was like walking in three eras at once.
That first Hundertwasser painting that you like, looks a lot like a great deal of Otto Fischingers animation.
ReplyDeleteA lot of his stuff (not the Fantasia stuff) looks like time lapse painting, except some of the stills suggest that when he got to a part he liked, he stopped, and started painting (animating) on a new piece of glass, like a series of nested matte paintings.
And if he had photoshop at the time, he may not have had a body of work at all.
You may already know this, but Hunderwasser, having retired in sunny New Zealand, pitched to design the national museum and was rejected (about which we still weep) so promptly built another beautiful public toilet in the far north. Though I feel more inclined to urinate on the hideous national museum that eventually came about.
ReplyDeleteAhh... no wonder the Ghibli Museum looks like these Hundertwasser designs- it was directly inspired by Hundertwasser Haus.
ReplyDeleteSee, here's where your blog performs an invaluable service. I'd never heard of this Hundertwasser guy, so not only did you teach me something I didn't know... but you also inspired me to research it and make a connection to something I do know.
That's pretty cool.
Hey, I just found your blog through Katie Rice's. I love that bathroom, I'm crazy over it! And I agree with what you said about his style as a contrast to it's surroundings. But one thing you said stuck me.
ReplyDeleteArchitecture is mainly about interesting three-dimensional shapes and spaces, not quirky facades. Architects should revel in the idea of space and travel all over the world collecting interesting experiences of it.
Why? Why can't it be about a quirky facade, or a drawing of an idea made real? I'm not a big fan of the word 'should.' I liked that building in particular, I suppose for the very reason you didn't like it. This isn't meant as a combative question, I'm just curious why you think what you think.
He built a place of his own in NZ if I recall, and lectured nude. I liked the freeway designs he had too that were partially excavated and had no visible road from outside.
ReplyDeleteHis buildings make me think of Gaudi also.
-Shorty
Whitney: Interesting question. Since you didn't express any particular love for the overall shape of the building I'm guessing you think it doesn't matter much as long as the facade looks good. That's fine for facade fanciers but those of us who like sculpture and shapes need a place to hang our hat.
ReplyDeleteEddie - I do like sculpture and shape. I am a sculptor, actually. I don't think that it 'doesn't matter as long as the facade looks good,' though. I simply like the facade of that building, and I saw your 'should' and wanted to ask about it. I certainly wouldn't want to be pegged as a 'facade fancier' or anything else so limiting. I've got quite a range of tastes, and none are limited by rules, genres, or mediums.
ReplyDeleteGreat posting!
ReplyDeleteI learned about Hundertwasser from a theatre design professor in college. Theatre design is all about facades, so I see a connection here that I didn't see before.
Thanks, Uncle Eddie!