Talking about architecture and art

Frank O. Gehry is the architect of dramatic sculptural buildings, including the redesigned Art Gallery of Ontario (see Eve Lucas's article on the art and architecture scene in Toronto in Spotlight 8/2009). Gehry encourages his students to be themselves and to find their own way. "It doesn't matter what somebody else says. Maybe they won't like it, but it doesn't matter, because you're still the expert in your work." He adds, "Who's to say what's good and what's bad in the end?"

That's all very well from the artist's point of view, but obviously we all should have our say. This is particularly true for architecture, which people use every day. While Gehry's work has received wide acclaim, his buildings also have their detractors. His critics say he wastes space by creating functionless forms. They also find that the buildings may look spectacular, but they just don't seem to belong to their surroundings. That, of course, is precisely the quality that makes them so appealing to others.

So, as they say, there's no arguing about taste. But we can talk about art and architecture and what we like or don't like. English teacher Alex Case recently posted interesting questions to discuss art on his blog, and we would like to pass some of them on to you. Come on! Let's talk about art in the exercise on the next page.

Anne Hodgson