 |  |
| |
Pedro E. Guerrero and Taliesin
Taliesin West
See also: Taliesin West Construction • Taliesin [Wisconsin]
|
Frank Lloyd Wright had previously lived in a tented hand-built encampment in 1929 outside Phoenix for the design job for Dr. Alexander Chandler and his San Marcos in the Desert. Though Ocatilla Camp didn’t last a year, for the rest of his life, Wright loved the desert for a welcome respite from Wisconsin’s harsh winters. He was also inspired by the overhead light of the canvas tent ceilings in the camp. The triangular form of the foreground pool comes from this time and is not only an architectonic translation of the surrounding mountain ranges but an allusion to the shape of the Ocotillo cactus blooms. This photograph, taken from the “Prow” is among the earliest that Guerrero shot after being hired by Wright in 1939-40. Because this view shows the Drafting Studio roof bisected with wood in the center and the front terrace has been replanted with yucca trees, the date is assumed to be circa 1941. This print was developed circa 1983 for Guerrero’s lectures and private collection. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
This seems to be among the last photographs Guerrero took of Taliesin West. Also called the “Living Room,” the Garden Room image date can be determined by the Eugene Masselink screen whose twin was made in 1956 for Kentuck Knob. Also, the newness of the sliding panels apparently covering the fiberglass ceiling make this undated photograph of the interior to have probably been shot in 1959. As glazing of the open canvas pavilions began in 1946, the northern end clerestory of the Garden Room was first enclosed. But the tuning of the piano and harp would have been affected by natural desert air and temperature swings, so though canvas ceilings were thought to have still existed here, this may have been one of the earliest spaces whose canvas was replaced by fiberglass. This print like several others in the online exhibition was most likely developed for Guerrero’s own lectures in 1983. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
Though initialed and marked “Taliesin West” by Guerrero on the verso, the written date “1940” is considered incorrect on this image, more likely shot circa 1945. Though it was shot slightly later than Guerrero’s entry to the Wright orbit, this photograph shows one of the earliest views of the building and the empty expanse of the surrounding desert site. But it does feature the redwood trusses of the Drafting Studio on the left. A key construction element of Taliesin West, the original Studio, similar to the Ocatilla Camp, placed taut white panels on the ceiling, giving an even overhead glow for the drafting tables. White hopper and barn door reflecting panels on the southern side directed sunlight to the tables in its original open design. This print like several others in the online exhibition was most likely developed for Guerrero’s own lectures in 1983. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
Called the “Bell Tower,” this structure wrapping the kitchen area was among the earliest built in 1939-1940. However, this particular photograph shows the dinner gong that replaced the original bell and with its horizontal redwood structural addition dates the shot to the early 1950s. Constructed of “Desert Masonry,” the battered shape to the walls is an example of the entire Taliesin West stone construction. Multi-hued rocks strewn around the site were placed within formwork whose dry-concrete provided the mountain-like shape after the forms were peeled away. The original redwood pergola to the North of the Drafting Studio can be seen to the right. This print was most likely developed for Guerrero’s private collection. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
Though Guerrero wrote “1947” on the back of a construction photo of the theater, the FLW Foundation dated its construction at 1949. This 1959 shot shows the ceiling to have been formed primarily of concrete with a smattering of multi-colored desert rocks. Prior to its construction, the small “Kiva” building acted as the theater until the Taliesin Fellowship grew to such size, it could no longer hold them. This print was most likely developed for Guerrero’s private collection. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
Music was an important component at both Taliesins and appeared to be part of the Fellowship teaching curriculum. A piano seems to have always been in various rooms and here, it actually nestles in its own angled niche. Wright designed music stands merging architecture with sound in this 1959 Guerrero shot. The photographer also focused on the cinema screen that shared selected movies with the concerts by Fellowship Apprentices. Oddly, Wright directed the visual image of the movies to share screen space with the aural oscilloscope-like soundtrack waves as a fascinating [to him, apparently] architectonic element to the movie. This print was most likely developed for Guerrero’s private collection. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
This image shows Guerrero at his best, approximating Wright’s 30s architecture in a black and white photograph. The southern stone walls were enclosed early on to protect from solar gain and this may be the office’s only image taken through the opening. Looking out from the Wright’s office to the Drafting Studio, its central features are the 1938-1939 vault, the first experiment in “Desert Masonry,” framed by the prickly pear cactus then filling the earliest walls. As this was Wright’s first morning view from his drafting table, it also shows what had to be the most important. And the milky white sky mirrors the diffused overhead light of the canvas roofed Ocatilla Camp itself. This period image was kept for decades in Guerrero’s private collection. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
This photograph of the Bell Tower is among the earliest of the Taliesin West photographs and shows it to be a more totemic presence in the compound. Probably taken in 1939-40, the “Desert Masonry” is clearer here and the earliest angled redwood frame for the original bell is a stronger silhouette against the sky. Repeating the earlier description of the new technique: Multi-hued rocks strewn around the site were placed within formwork whose dry-concrete provided the mountain-like shape after the forms were peeled away. This print was most likely developed for Guerrero’s private collection and used for his lectures. Pedro E. Guerrero |
|
Like the previous Bell Tower photograph, this is one of the earliest taken by Guerrero of the Taliesin West compound shortly after it was first built. It shows Wright’s first design of the Drafting Studio with white canvas ceiling like the Ocotilla Camp of early 1929. The “Barn Door” and “Hopper” reflecting panels are open by the southern-most drafting tables and show the arrangement that most appealed to Wright. This print was most likely developed for Guerrero’s private collection and used for his lectures. Pedro E. Guerrero |
 |  |  |  |