Charles Eames was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 17, 1907. Charles Eames studied architecture at The Washington University, St. Louis, from 1924 to 1926. supplementing his studies with work in the local architectural firm of Trueblood and Graf from 1925 to 1927. Charles Eames is thought to have left school because of his irritation with the lack of imagination Charles Eames found there. In later years, he wrote:
The classic training, which many claim deals with the fundamentals and common denominators in creating art, often forces upon the young designer a system of sterile formula, or makes him so conscious of self expression that he ignores completely the help he can get from physical and natural law.
In the 1950s, the whole design climate was permanently changed by the work of Charles and Ray Eames. By a few chairs and a house. Charles Ormond Eames (1907-1978), in collaboration with his wife Ray Eames, achieved international recognition as a versatile designer of buildings, interiors, furniture, rugs, toys, stage and movie sets, urban plans, industrial products, and exhibitions, as well as by his work in photography, films, and graphics. Intrinsic in all of his work is an understanding of modern materials and technology tempered by a unique design sensibility:
People instinctively recognize the goodness in a sailboat, an axe, an airplane, or a huge dam and, consciously or unconsciously, get from them a feeling of aesthetic satisfaction.... The modern designer tries to refine his work until it contains as much of that goodness as possible. ... In it there is no room for pretense or snobbery or for value results by the costliness of materials used. Certainly the future cannot be considered hopeless as long as designers continue to honor the accomplishment of producing a very inexpensive article that can serve well and bring pleasure....
Charles Eames established the firm of Gray and Eames in St. Louis from 1930 to 1936. Because architectural commissions were sparse during the Depression, Charles Eames's work in the 1930s included a variety of projects ranging from furniture, ceramics, stained-glass windows, mosaics, and textiles to one of his most acclaimed commissions of the period. The John Phillip Meyer Residence in St. Louis (1935-1938).
In 1936, Charles Eames was appointed head of the Department of Experimental Design at the Cranbrook Academy in Michigan, a prestigious U.S. design center then under the direction of Eliel Saarinen. This fellowship proved to be one of the most important steps in Chalres Eames's career because it was here that he formed many of the ideas for his later work as well as a close association with fellow faculty member Eero Saarinen.
In 1945, Eames entered the Case House Study Program sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, then under the editorship of John Entenza. The experiment, in which a group of architects was commissioned to create inexpensive housing with standard industrial materials from a catalog, became the platform for Eames's international reputation as an architect. The program spanned 20 years and encompassed 36 projects, 22 of which were actually constructed. Charles Eames's own residence. Case House No. 8, was a series of economical living spaces and outdoor enclosures on a cliff site overlooking the ocean in Pacific Palisades, California.
In 1940, Charles Eames and Saarinen established their interna-tional reputations by winning the two first prizes for their collaboration on three-dimensionally molded plywood chairs for the Organic Design in Home Furnishings Competition held at the Museum of Modern Art. New York, in 1940-1941.
During the decade of the 1940s. Charles Eames developed the seeds of ideas from his years at Cranbrook for work in a wide range of media. It was his "habit of approach," which Charles Eames believed could be applied to virtually any creative field, that enabled him to excel in divergent areas with equal proficiency. Employing this systems method, Charles Eames would first make a detailed analysis of the needs posed by a specific problem; then Charles Eames would determine the technology most appropriate to the solution. Charles Eames believed that designers "may so prepare themselves that they can approach any problem with the least possible loss of energy no matter how new to them its requirements or materials".
In 1941. after moving to California with his second wife and collaborator, Ray Kaiser, Charles Eames worked in the art department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. an experience that led to later work in motion pictures. During that year, Charles Eames also continued experiments in molding plywood, which resulted in a notable series of furniture designs for Herman Miller. During the years 1942-1945. Charles Eames established a development laboratory in partnership with John Entenza. Charles Eames experimented in photography in 1944, developing a fast slide technique which Charles Eames later incorporated into film work and exhibitions.
This elegant version of an industrial-style building was created through techniques typically associated with factory construction. With its exposed steel frame and abstract facade formed by a modulating gridwork of steel mullions, Charles Eames's house is considered the precursor of today's high-tech buildings. According to Charles Jencks:
The interior exemplifies the Charles Eames aesthetic, in which the house serves as a variable container for everyday object of living. Charles Eames casually arranged cheerful bric-a-brac as opposed to objects of high art to form a montage of images that expressed reverence for the integrity of each object. The style spread from Charles Eames's living room to designer displays around the world. As a social idea, the house is a base for two creative adults: a pair of buildings that provides enough privacy for each person to accommodate a lifestyle in which home and work are unified. It is believed that Charles Eames's admiration for Frank Lloyd Wright is reflected in his respect for nature, attraction to rich interior decoration, Oriental design overtones, and open conception of space and form.
Equally important to Charles Eames's international reputation was a series of chairs produced over a period of 30 years. The designs range from shells of formed fiber glass and plywood on light metal supports to compositions in down and leather, depending on the production technique and material most appropriate to the needs of the project. His attitudes toward furniture are perhaps best summarized in The Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956), which continued the tradition of the luxurious chair established in 1929 by Mies's Barcelona and Le Corbusier's Siege Grand Con-fort. It emphasizes comfort, enjoyment of the luxury of materials, and appreciation for objects well crafted. But unlike the Barcelona chair, which defines space by establishing a polarity between objects and people, The Lounge Chair on its swivel and pedestal allows the user to control its angle and position in space relative to other objects and people.
Although Charles Eames continued work on architectural projects through the min-1960s, the emphasis of his design studio shifted to audience-oriented work from the late 1940s until his death. Among the most notable public installations were exhibit �For Modern Living� at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan (1949); the �Good Design Show� at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1950); and several installations for the Herman Miller Showroom through the 1960s. The studio also produced over 50 films on a variety of subjects, ranging from history and political figures to craftwork and computers. Among the well-known titles are �Traveling Boy� (1950), �Fabulous Fifties� (1960), and �IBM at the Fair (1965). Charles Eames devoted much of his design skill in his last years to a series of traveling exhibitions including the American National Exhibition, Moscow (1959), The World of Franklin and Jefferson exhibition (1975), and A Computer Perspective, IBM exhibition center (1971).
Although Charles Eames did not have a formal architectural degree, his work had a profound effect on design, both in the United States and abroad. Perhaps most important to hist style was an ability to temper superlative technical knowhow in exploiting the highest available technology with a touch of whimsy and a discerning eye for color and form.
In 1945, Eames entered the Case House Study Program sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, then under the editorship of John Entenza. The experiment, in which a group of architects was commissioned to create inexpensive housing with standard industrial materials from a catalog, became the platform for Eames's international reputation as an architect. The program spanned 20 years and encompassed 36 projects, 22 of which were actually constructed. Charles Eames's own residence. Case House No. 8, was a series of economical living spaces and outdoor enclosures on a cliff site overlooking the ocean in Pacific Palisades, California.
In 1940, Charles Eames and Saarinen established their interna-tional reputations by winning the two first prizes for their collaboration on three-dimensionally molded plywood chairs for the Organic Design in Home Furnishings Competition held at the Museum of Modern Art. New York, in 1940-1941.
During the decade of the 1940s. Charles Eames developed the seeds of ideas from his years at Cranbrook for work in a wide range of media. It was his "habit of approach," which Charles Eames believed could be applied to virtually any creative field, that enabled him to excel in divergent areas with equal proficiency. Employing this systems method, Charles Eames would first make a detailed analysis of the needs posed by a specific problem; then Charles Eames would determine the technology most appropriate to the solution. Charles Eames believed that designers "may so prepare themselves that they can approach any problem with the least possible loss of energy no matter how new to them its requirements or materials".
In 1941. after moving to California with his second wife and collaborator, Ray Kaiser, Charles Eames worked in the art department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. an experience that led to later work in motion pictures. During that year, Charles Eames also continued experiments in molding plywood, which resulted in a notable series of furniture designs for Herman Miller. During the years 1942-1945. Charles Eames established a development laboratory in partnership with John Entenza. Charles Eames experimented in photography in 1944, developing a fast slide technique which Charles Eames later incorporated into film work and exhibitions.
This elegant version of an industrial-style building was created through techniques typically associated with factory construction. With its exposed steel frame and abstract facade formed by a modulating gridwork of steel mullions, Charles Eames's house is considered the precursor of today's high-tech buildings. According to Charles Jencks:
The Eames' steel-framed house comes very much in that West Coast tradition of Neutra and Soriano and is followed by the later essays in transcendental steel of Koenig and Ellwood. All of these Westerners exploit the potential that Mies had discovered earlier: open planning, precise detailing, accuracy, neatness and the light quality of steel and glass. A continuous perfection which is possible only with a sophisticated technology that can avoid crudeness.
Unlike Mies, however, Charles Eames neither attempted to create universal space nor allowed the design to be controlled by the demands of production.Rather than considering industrial imagery as an end in itself, Charles Eames created a gentle, residential aesthetic from industrial materials. Utilizing energy-saving principles, the house was build quickly from a minimum amount of materials. Charles Eames first tried to exploit steel by sharping an elaborate structure, but finaly decided to enclose the largest volume of space possible with the same amount of steel. Taking full advantage of a southwest-facing slope, the partialy subterranean structure is cooled by natural cross-ventilation and shade provided by a deep roof overhang and groove of eucalyptus trees. Mechanical and electrical systems are used sparingly.
Equally important to Charles Eames's international reputation was a series of chairs produced over a period of 30 years. The designs range from shells of formed fiber glass and plywood on light metal supports to compositions in down and leather, depending on the production technique and material most appropriate to the needs of the project. His attitudes toward furniture are perhaps best summarized in The Lounge Chair and Ottoman (1956), which continued the tradition of the luxurious chair established in 1929 by Mies's Barcelona and Le Corbusier's Siege Grand Con-fort. It emphasizes comfort, enjoyment of the luxury of materials, and appreciation for objects well crafted. But unlike the Barcelona chair, which defines space by establishing a polarity between objects and people, The Lounge Chair on its swivel and pedestal allows the user to control its angle and position in space relative to other objects and people.
Although Charles Eames continued work on architectural projects through the min-1960s, the emphasis of his design studio shifted to audience-oriented work from the late 1940s until his death. Among the most notable public installations were exhibit �For Modern Living� at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan (1949); the �Good Design Show� at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1950); and several installations for the Herman Miller Showroom through the 1960s. The studio also produced over 50 films on a variety of subjects, ranging from history and political figures to craftwork and computers. Among the well-known titles are �Traveling Boy� (1950), �Fabulous Fifties� (1960), and �IBM at the Fair (1965). Charles Eames devoted much of his design skill in his last years to a series of traveling exhibitions including the American National Exhibition, Moscow (1959), The World of Franklin and Jefferson exhibition (1975), and A Computer Perspective, IBM exhibition center (1971).
Although Charles Eames did not have a formal architectural degree, his work had a profound effect on design, both in the United States and abroad. Perhaps most important to hist style was an ability to temper superlative technical knowhow in exploiting the highest available technology with a touch of whimsy and a discerning eye for color and form.
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