This movement “expressed progressive social and political ideals, through reformed domestic architecture” and contributed to several international styles. Looking at their historical and cultural roots influences, we can discover how their architecture inspired design both globally and in their homeland of Finland - and who in the pantheon of architects has built upon the legacy they left behind.Įliel Saarinen, born in Finland 1873, was arguably the northern nation’s “ most noted early modernist architect” and worked at the forefront of the Finnish offshoot of National Romanticism. The students that would pass through the Cranbrook Academy, where Eliel was president from 1932-1948, would go on to change the face of design the architects who drew inspiration from the approach promoted by Eero continue to shape our built environment today. The Arch is ultimately a monument to all those with a vision Thomas Jefferson, the American pioneers, and Eero Saarinen.Save this picture! © Revontuli licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0īoth left “profound influences upon the cities where they did their work”, but this influence is not isolated to the context of their work. In both cases the desire was to move boldly toward the future. The Gateway Arch marked the beginning of his career just as the "Gateway to the West" marked the beginning of a new life for countless pioneers. Though his life was tragically cut short, his vision lives on through the structures that he created. He died of a brain tumor in 1961 at the age of 51, and is buried in Michigan. brought him acclaim and established him as one of the most successful and creative architects of his time.Īs his designs show, Eero Saarinen was a man of vision. Projects such as the General Motors Technical Center near Detroit, the TWA Terminal in New York City, and the Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. Saarinen considered it to be perfect in its form and its symbolism.The Arch was Saarinen's first great triumph, but there would be many more. The Arch was to rise majestically from a small forest set on the edge of the great river. His opinion was that, ".all parts of an architectural composition must be parts of the same form-world." He carefully studied the site and its surroundings to ensure that the design encompassed the whole environment. But here, at the edge of the Mississippi River, a great arch did seem right." Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed right on this site or for this purpose. was to create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time. This was his first opportunity to establish himself as an independent architect, and he set out to design a monument not only to Thomas Jefferson and the nation, but also to the modern age. It was during this period that he began to build a reputation as an architect who refused to be restrained by any preconceived ideas.Īfter working with his father on a number of projects, Eero Saarinen had a chance to express his own philosophy when he entered the 1947 architectural competition for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. After a two-year fellowship in Europe, he returned to Cranbrook in 1936 to become an instructor of design and his father's partner in the architectural firm. Between 19, Eero studied at the Yale School of Architecture. In 1923 the Saarinens immigrated to the United States and settled in Michigan, north of Detroit, where Eliel administered the Cranbrook Institute of Architecture and Design. He was taught that each object should be designed in its "next largest context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, environment in a city plan." Eero grew up in a household where drawing and painting were taken very seriously, and a devotion to quality and professionalism were instilled in him at an early age. His mother, Loja Saarinen, was a gifted sculptor, weaver, photographer, and architectural model maker. Born in Finland in 1910, Eero Saarinen was the son of Eliel Saarinen, a noted and respected architect. It was the first of many competitions he would win in his life, and foreshadowed his remarkable career as an architect. In 1922, at the age of 12, Eero Saarinen took first place in a matchstick design contest.
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