Career
Years after his death, Frank Lloyd Wright continues to be recognized as the greatest architect of the Twentieth Century. His seventy-two year career was punctuated with worldwide fame, hostile derision and artistic triumphs. Wright's acknowledged masterpieces outnumber the entire output of many other architects. After a few years of refined experimentation, Wright began the 20th Century by transforming architecture into a modern language with new rules of grammar, his rules. The more avant-garde architects and designers in the Midwest followed Wright's lead as well as the latest currents flowing out of Europe to create a new direction for architecture: the Prairie School.
Primarily used in suburban houses, the Prairie vocabulary challenged the rigid demarcation of rooms by eliminating wall partitions to let the living spaces flow together seamlessly. Carpets, textiles and art glass shared similar motifs and color was limited to muted earth tones instead of the riotous palettes and clashing styles of fashionable upscale houses. The building materials were limited to those found in the immediate area; brick, if the earth yielded clay; stone, if the ground was rocky; and natural, not painted wood, from nearby trees. These elements, used logically, became one definition of his new concept, 'Organic Architecture.'