Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Fountainhead

I just watched a documentary about Frank Gehry. If you don't know who he is, google his name and you'll see that he's the architect behind some pretty famous (and outrageous) buildings. I'm not a huge fan of crazy looking buildings and have fairly traditional tastes so Gehry's stuff ain't exactly my cup-o-tea, but I like him. He appears to be the best type of artist. He seems to be someone who creates because they can, because they want to, and to see where their making will lead them next. No matter what medium you're creating in, it's the thrill of the adventure of making that makes it worthwhile.

One thing that really struck me was that Gehry's buildings totally remind me of the novel The Fountainhead. (If you haven't read it, don't. I really and truly hated that book and will forever curse the day I opened it.) The main character in the book is an architect who creates buildings that most people find totally hideous, but whom their inhabitants would live no where else. When I see the outside of a Frank Gehry building I wonder what the hell people were thinking to erect such things, when I see the inside I totally understand.