Greene & Greene: Masterworks
- Book Review,
by Bruce Smith, Alexander Vertikoff (Photographer)
Amazon.com
With Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Sumner Greene and brother Henry Mather Greene defined the Arts & Crafts movement in America. From their offices in Pasadena, they created "Ultimate Bungalows," finely crafted homes characterized by the integration of architecture and interior design into a harmonious whole. Though both brothers had long and distinguished careers, the highpoint of their work came between 1903 and 1909, when they created such lasting masterpieces as The Gamble House in Pasadena, the Pratt House in Ojai, and the Thorsen House in Berkeley. Greene & Greene: Masterworks presents their work in this era in loving detail. Bruce Smith, who wrote the text for the book, is an authority on the Arts & Crafts movement, and is currently working on a biography of Charles Greene. Alexander Vertikoff's lush photography is the perfect accompaniment to the text, beautifully capturing the sweeping grandeur of each house as well as capturing the subtle details that make each Greene & Greene home a treasure. After an overview of the Arts & Crafts movement and a brief biography of the of the brothers, the book turns its attention to various details that characterized the brothers' style. In the section on entryways, for instance, they point out that Rarely in a Greene and Greene house is there an abrupt division between inside and out. One enters by transitions, in stages. Brick steps my lead up from the garden to a porch. Shelter comes from a gabled overhang or sleeping porch that extends from above--one is covered but still able to feel the breeze. The pattern in the door's art glass evokes the natural world being left behind. Stepping inside, one still does not feel totally enclosed; across the entrance hall are doorways framing a vista of gardens beyond. After exploring the details, they move on to the houses themselves, looking at 24 houses ranging from the modest, unassuming Brandt-Serrurier House in Altedena--a single story cottage built in 1905--to their greatest creation, The Gamble House in Pasadena. A short history and examination of details is given to each house, but by and large the houses are allowed to speak for themselves through dazzling photos. One of the most striking features of each house is the honey-colored light that fills each room as it pours through Japanese-inspired stained glass chandeliers and is reflected from rich mahogany and teak floors and furniture. To walk through a Greene & Greene house was to walk through a work of fine art. As Henry Greene said, "The idea was to eliminate everything unnecessary, to make the whole as direct and simple as possible, but always with the beautiful in mind as the first goal." As Greene & Greene: Masterworks clearly shows, they succeeded brilliantly. --Laszlo Simonyi
The New York Times Book Review, Martin Filler
[D]espite the beauty of Alexander Vertikoff's color photographs of the Greenes' sophisticated bungalows, their autumnal tonalities also project a certain poignancy. In his intelligent text, Bruce Smith, a specialist in Arts and Crafts design, recounts the personal histories of the architects' enlightened upper-class clients.
New York Times
"The architect brothers who took the Arts and Crafts movement in America to unsurpassed heights of refinement-Charles Sumner Greene (1868-1957) and Henry Mather Greene (187 1954)-were in several respects the equals of their greatest contemporary, the similarly long-lived Frank Lloyd Wright. The Greenes' reverence for the classical culture of Japan, belief in the complete integration of architecture and interior design, disdain for historical styles and profound understanding of natural materials were all values they held in common with their more famous colleague. Regrettably, the fraternal partners did not share Wright's indomitable resilience or genius for late-life transformation. All three men went into a precipitous professional decline by the outbreak of World War 1, when the Arts and Crafts style fell out of fashion, but only Wright's fortunes ultimately revived. The Greenes, who worked in the idyllic Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, where they built most of their houses, dissolved their joint practice in 1922 and struggled on separately until the Depression finally ended their careers..."
Country Home
'Greene & Greene' is the first book to survey the remarkable architecture of Charles and Henry Greene, California architects and brothers who embraced the American Arts and Crafts Movement at the turn of the century. The Greenes mostly designed private homes for their neighbors in Pasadena, California, and frequently fashioned windows, light fixtures and furnishings for the houses they built. Splendid photography shows how they blended an interest in Asian art with their Eastern Shingle style training to create a genre all their own. Any reader interested in the Arts and Crafts Movement will find ideas for furnishings and inspiration from the artistry of these architects.
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