PrairieMod Monday
Defined as “total work of art" or "complete artwork," gesamtkunstwerk is a German term attributed to the opera composer Richard Wagner who sought to fuse music, theater, and the visual arts in his operas. The Viennese Secessionists, admirers of Wagner’s work, picked up on this idea of synthesizing the arts as a way to react against the prevailing eclectic mix of diverse objects, furniture and décor styles that made up the Victorian home. Notable artists such as Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann, Koloman Moser and Charles Rennie Mackintosh were proponents of this philosophy, which implied that the design of every detail of the whole should be considered. When speaking in terms of a building, it was not enough to stop design consideration at the house itself. Gesamtkunstwerk states that the same design language the house speaks should also be spoken by everything that resides in that house--even extending to the environment outside the building as well. What’s created is a “total work of art” for people to live in and around everyday of their lives, affecting the mood and wellbeing of all that reside within it.
On this side of the ocean, Frank Lloyd Wright is arguably the most famous proponent of the idea of gesamtkunstwerk (even if he didn’t apply that specific term to his work). As Virginia T. Boyd points out in her article, gesamtkunstwerk at all price levels:
"Frank Lloyd Wright came to a similar approach through analyzing forms in nature, a model that integrated visual and functional components in a tightly organized, unified whole both aesthetically and structurally. He described his approach as organic architecture." (Wright Angles; volume 32, number 3, page 2)
It’s through organic architecture that Wright was able to realize his ideas on integrating and unifying a home, its furniture, its ornamentation, its lighting, etc. as an expression of the individuals that would ultimately occupy it. Wright worked to consistently follow this design philosophy, from the early Prairie period through the later Usonians and beyond. Today, Wright’s spaces are as fresh and inspiring as they were when they were new. Thousands of people from all over the globe travel thousands of miles to visit his “total works of art.” Why? We believe the answer lies in principles.
Wright’s work appeals to so many because it visually embodies the fundamental human desire for order, consistency and unity. The principle of “Integrate and Unify” helps to put a name to this innate need that we all feel for our lives to have a sense of “unity” to them. By surrounding ourselves with the beauty of a well-designed, aesthetically unified environment, it helps affect our emotional state and can begin to build a sense of unity in our lives. It’s not to say that everyone needs to live in the equivalent of the Robie House. Instead, we propose a look at the idea of what was meant by gesamtkunstwerk and how that historical aesthetic philosophy helps speak to the fundamental need for the beauty and repose that unity and integration provides. Art doesn’t have to be something you go to a museum to look at; it can be lived in and enjoyed everday of your life. Find your own way to implement gesamtkunstwerk in your life. All it takes is a look back in time to find the right ideas to make life better today.
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