Wright and Japan(PART 1 OF 3)
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I wish I were in Japan and would like to see Mount Fuji just as you pasted my picture in the above.
Oh sure...you could in the near future.
Are you saying, you'll take me to Japan some day?
Oh, yes...some day...some day.
Kato, you are NOT so dependable...whenever I tried to meet you, you used to show up too late. You always disappointed me, didn't you?
Well...I was quite busy, you know.
Yes, yes, yes,... I know that, but you could manage it somehow.
You're telling me, Diane.
So, today, you're talking about Frank Lloyd Wright and Japan, aren't you?
Yes, I am.
Are you saying, Frank Wright loved Japan so much?
Oh yes, Japan is the only country outside of America in which Frank Wright lived, worked and loved.
How come you're so sure about it?
'Cause this is the historical fact.
I've never heard of it.
...'Cause you've been so busy, Diane, in submerging yourself in the West end lifestyle as well as Kitsilano's. :)
I mean, I've never learned it.
...'Cause you once lived in Faro, Yukon Territory---up north in the extremely cold climate, which apparently erased your memory about Frank Lloyd. :) he, he, he, he, he,...
Kato, don't be absurd! I remember quite well what I've learned in my life. Besides, you told me that Frank got involved in an extramarital affair.
Yes, He did. What about it?
Well, ... In 1903, Frank designed a house for Edwin Cheney, a neighbor in Oak Park, and immediately took a liking to Cheney's wife, Mamah Borthwick Cheney.
Yes, that's right.
Mamah Cheney was a modern woman with interests outside the home. She was an early feminist and Wright viewed her as his intellectual equal. The two fell in love, even though Wright had been married for almost 20 years.
Diane...you remember quite well, don't you?
Yes, I do. That love affair interested me greatly. Often the two could be seen taking rides in Wright's automobile through Oak Park, and they became the talk of the town. Frank's wife, Kitty, was sure that this attachment would fade as the others had, and refused to grant him a divorce. Neither would Edwin Cheney grant one to Mamah.
Frank and Olga
You're absolutely right, Diane.
So, in 1909, Frank Wright and Mamah Cheney went together to Europe, leaving their own spouses and children behind. So, Japan isn't the only country Frank went outside of America, is it?
You're telling me, Diane. But Europe is his refuge from the scandal. On the contray, to Frank, Japan is his paradise.
Why is that?
'Cause he was an enthusiastic dealer in the Japanese ukiyo-e art.
So, Frank loved woodblock prints of a salacious nature, didn't he? I wonder if he was a pornographic collector.
Oh, no. Don't jump to a hasty conclusion. He also loved woodblock prints of the Japanese scenery like Mount Fuji in the above. Though most famous as an architect, Wright was an active dealer in Japanese art---mostly ukiyo-e woodblock prints. He frequently served as both architect and art dealer to the same clients. That is, he designed a home, then provided the art to fill it.
I see. He had an acute business sense as well, I suppose.
Yes, I think so, too. In fact, Wright made more from selling art than from his work as an architect.
Is that right? So, he had some Japanese connections.
Yes, he did.
Now, I understand how come the creator of the theme park in Karuizawa also called his park "Karuizawa Taliesin" and wanted to make it as a base for new cultural power.
(To be followed)
