WEIRD NATURE: THE UNNATURAL ARCHITECTURE OF RICHARD NEUTRA AND JULIUS SHULMAN A thesis submitted to the Kent State University Honors College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors by Kelsey Atchison May, 2015 ii Thesis written by Kelsey Atchison Approved by _____________________________________________________________________, Advisor ______________________________________________, Director, School of Architecture Accepted by ___________________________________________________, Dean, Honors College iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………...….vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………………………...…….……viii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………....…...ix WEIRD NATURE: THE UNNATURAL ARCHITECTURE OF RICHARD NEUTRA AND JULIUS SHULMAN …………………………………..…………….....…...……..1 THE CASE STUDY HOUSES…………………………………………………….…......9 SHULMAN AND HIS COLLEGUES……………………………………………….….14 NATURE DEFINED…………………………………………………………………….19 THE TECHNIQUES……………………………………………………………………..20 PHOTO STUDY…………………………………………………………………...…….26 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………..…34 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 The Crystal Palace at Sydenham ………………………………………………..2 Figure 2 Kaufmann House ……………………………………………………………..…7 Figure 3 Case Study House No. 9 …………………………….…………..…………..…10 Figure 4 Case Study House No. 3 .…………………………….…….………………..…10 Figure 5 Case Study House No. 22 …………………...………………..………………..10 Figure 6 Case Study House No. 22 .……………………..………………………....……10 Figure 7 Case Study House No. 20…………………………………..…………..………12 Figure 8 Case Study House No. 20 Drawing…………………………………..……...…12 Figure 9 American, Atlantic City ……………………………...…………...……………14 Figure 10 Guggenheim Museum, Ezra Stoller …………………………………..…...…17 Figure 11Guggenheim Museum, Julius Shulman ..…………………………………...…17 Figure 12 Kun House …………...….……………………………………………………18 Figure 13 Kun House …………....………………………………………………………18 Figure 14 Kaufman House .……………………….…..…………………………………18 Figure 15 Bewobau Housing ……...……………………………………………………18 Figure 16 Case Study House No. 22 .……………………………………………………21 Figure 17 Maslon House, Neutra’s view ………...……………………………...………26 Figure 18 Maslon House, Shulman’s View ..…………………………………..….….…26 Figure 19 Kaufmann House ………………………….…………………………….……28 Figure 20 Miller House …………………………………………………………….……29 Figure 21 Chuey House …………………………………………………………………29 Figure 22 Tremaine ……………………………………………………………...………30 vi Figure 23 Wirin ……………………………………………………………………….…30 Figure 24 Goodson ………………………………………………………………………30 Figure 25 Case Study House No. 20 ……………………………………….……………30 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to give my utmost appreciation to my thesis advisor who gave me inspiration to aspire greater than I had ever imagined. I also would like to extend thanks to my thesis committee for their time and help in the development of my thesis. My parents are the driving force behind my motivation to take on new and exciting challenges in my college career and through life. I owe them so much and I cannot thank them enough for all that they have done for me. viii ABSTRACT The mid-century modern period in architecture showcased many architects attempting to make great buildings while using new materials and ideas. Richard Neutra was one of these architects carving a new way of architecture. He was not alone in his quest to develop within this mid-century modern framework. Julius Shulman photographed these iconic images for the world to see. Many scholars say the photography is much better than the building. The ways Neutra and Shulman collaborated in the quest to establish a face for the mid-century modern period in architecture was unique in process. This is how they made weird nature. Weird nature combines the ideas of the mid-century modern style and the elements that make this movement its own. There is a focus in the view of nature, which plays a large part in the demonstration of the houses in the photographs. The techniques and philosophy of Richard Neutra and Julius Shulman create a specific representation of the houses. Comparisons of photographs, such as the Maslon Case Study House (Figure 17 and 18), help to analyze the messages that are conveyed through a photograph. The literature on Neutra and Shulman, scholarly commentary, interviews, and personal experiences are used to analyze the understanding of architecture as a photographic representation of a building. The process and techniques used to construct the photograph make the image the architecture. ix WEIRD NATURE: THE UNNATURAL ARCHITECTURE OF RICHARD NEUTRA AND JULIUS SHULMAN “People experience the built environment with their full range of senses. As with all subsequent technological revolutions, from photographs to airplanes and television, the sense of sight would dominate.”1 –Mitchell Shwarzar Architecture has been documented, displayed, and made famous through photography. The way the photography has portrayed buildings has evolved to create many ways architecture can be represented. Author and photographer Judith Turner believes architecture can be seen in close-ups to elaborate on geometries that are hidden in plain sight. Her theories are developed from German cultural critic Walter Benjamin’s theories of art and its inability to be separated from sense of place.2 British photographer and author Eric de Maré has three classifications of architectural photography in Architecture & Photography. Early photographs of buildings were merely documentation. Roger Fenton and Philip Henry Delamotte were two photographers who started this new way of documentation. They recorded the disassembly and 3 reconstruction of The Crystal Palace in London (Figure 1). 1 Mitchell Schwarzer focuses on the means of mobility and the perception of built environment. Technology has revolutionized the way we experience the world and sight is a main detonator in the perception of space. Mitchell Schwarzer, Zoomscape: Architecture in Motion and Media. (New York: Princeton Architectural, 2004), 32. 2 The way art is represented is dependent on historical circumstances and place. The art relies on tradition and the means of political power. He formulates an argument expressing the values of exhibition and how the change in mass of audience affects this media or representation. Walter Benjamin. Hannah Arendt, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, (Illuminations. London: Fontana. 1968), 214–218. 3 John Hannavy, Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography, 404. 1 Figure 1 The Crystal Palace at Sydenham ,1854 Photo: Philip Henry Delamotte4 Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography Architect Richard Neutra’s design style is a notable component of the mid- century modern Southern California housing vernacular. Many of his famous housing designs were constructed in the 1940s and through the 50s. Neutra saw the importance in developing a well-constructed photograph to display his houses; this belief influenced his design technique. Neutra’s drawings reference his attention to architectural as well as landscaping details. He sketched textures and lush landscape boldly with grease pencil. The materials were carefully chosen to elevate the image and were photographed to further dramatize these details. The photograph ultimately becomes the architecture and the weird nature is in the process of constructing the photograph. Since the first photograph of a building the photography has evolved to fit the interest of the viewers. Sometimes these photographs become important or iconic 4 In the photograph above by Philip Henry Delamotte you can see the clear use of elevation as a view. He was documenting the construction and deconstruction of the Crystal Palace and therefore wanted to capture as much realistic detail as possible. When angles are askew illusions of perspective occur. 2 documents from the past. The techniques used to construct these photographs are unique to the photographer. Photographer Julius Shulman developed his own technique to capture the ‘scene’. He allowed for the construction of the architectural images in a way much different from his counterparts. Neutra saw this gift and used it to his advantage. He had his own ideas for the image of his houses and could represent it through an architectural image. Neutra was present during the photo shoots of his building and contributed ideas and direction for them, but his designs required Shulmans photography to truly flourish. The two combine to create an image for architecture during the mid- century modern period. The collaboration between them was strange. The process was bizarre and yet the product was extraordinarily successful. Neutra worked with many predominant architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, Otto Wagner, Adolf Loos, Eric Mendelson, and Rudolf Schindler. This offered a strong background for Neutra and his work. According to Architectural Historian David Gebhard, “Richard Neutra…was without doubt the most influential Los Angeles Modernist architect from the 1930s until his death in 1970”5. He set himself apart from his fellow architects through developing a combination of ideas. In his house designs he combined Bauhaus modernism with Southern California building traditions. Neutra directed that his nature shine through in the display of his architecture. His work closely related to the Case Study House Program that took roots in Southern California around the mid-century modern period. This program was piloted by John Entenza and featured 5 David Gebhard was a faculty member at University of California, Santa Barbara, who taught architectural history and directed the university