The short list of architectural biographies I've read is rather eclectic - Albert Kahn, Eliel Saarinen, Dankmar Adler - so it was a bit off-character that I recently read three biographies, including the one above which itself explores a triumvirate of American architects. The individual chapters focusing on each architect were interesting and informative, dealing primarily with their work as architects. But what made this book fascinating was how it traced a through line between the three. Richardson, one of the first American architects with his own bold style, influenced Sullivan and Wright. Wright first made a name for himself while working in Sullivan's office. Through careful examples, we are shown see the way the details and styles transfer from one to the next, and it is really interesting to see how each adopted and then innovated, learning from and then becoming the master.
This pattern reminded me of the statement in Baba Batra, but even more it made me think of how interesting it would be to trace similar threesomes of rabbis, showing how one generation of teachers influences students and then grand-students. Though I am not well-enough versed to call out examples myself, there are no doubt dozens of prominent examples in Jewish history. If O'Gorman's book is any indication, this could make for an insightful study.
This connects with the other two architectural biographies I read this year: Wendy Lesser's You Say to Brick: The Life of Louis Kahn and Moshe Safdie's autobiography, If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture, which recently won a Canadian Jewish Literary Award. The two books are not particularly similar: Lesser spends more time on Kahn the person and less on his work. It also suffers from a lack of images to illustrate her descriptions. Safdie's book focuses on the practice of architecture, bringing in stories from the author's life and giving rare access into the workings of an office. Safdie is a rarity - an architect who is exceptionally good at writing, and who can convey theoretical ideas without resorting to archispeak. Still, both books flow well and show off the genius of the architect in question.
These two books connect with O'Gorman's subject because Safdie got his start in Kahn's office. One can, in the same way, see the influence of Kahn's work on Safdie - art galleries, water channels, precast concrete, pyramids - it's all there. Like Sullivan and Wright, one can also see how Safdie was able to develop his own style, building on this foundation. This is what separates someone who is star in his own right from others who fail to expand on the work of their teachers. One can still be a fine architect by simply applying what you learned at the feet of other architects, but this doesn't put you in the class of great architects who are the subjects of these books. The same, no doubt, can be said of various rabbis throughout Jewish history.
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