 |
Louis Bourgeois (1856–1930,
US, born Canada), Baha’I Temple of Worship, 1921–1931, Wilmette, IL. Photo ©
2015 Davis Art Images. (8S-14101)
|
Once, while on a
plane landing at O’Hare when I lived in Chicago, the sun was going down and we
flew in low over this spectacular building. I’ll never forget that sight. And,
yes, it was in winter with snow on the ground.
The tenets of the Baha’i faith are pretty straightforward,
and immensely progressive. The Baha'i faith resulted from a revelation to the
Shiite Iranian Mirza Husayn-Ali (1817–1892), subsequently known as Baha'u'llah
(The Glory of God). Baha'u'llah was made to understand that all religions are
centered on the same supreme deity, meaning that all world religions are
monotheistic, interpreted by various persons chosen as prophets. The three core
principles of the faith are: the unity of God, the unity of all religions, and
the unity of humanity. The Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, Illinois, was the first
Baha'i place of worship constructed in the United States.
The architect of the Baha'i Temple ("The Temple of
Light"), converted to the Baha'i faith in 1906 in New York. Born in
Saint-Célestin de Nicolet, Québec, he had shown a talent for drawing by the age
of 8. Interested in architecture, he apprenticed in a church contractor's
office, designing his first church in 1892. He also studied as an apprentice to
a sculptor, going to Paris, where he was surrounded by great sculpture from the
Gothic through the Neoclassical periods. What enthralled him most, however, was
the architecture of Paris. He subsequently traveled to Italy, Greece, and Egypt
to absorb many different styles of architecture.
In 1886 Bourgeois was in Chicago and worked with Louis
Sullivan (1856–1924), the pioneer of American skyscrapers. A key feature of
Sullivan's architecture was exterior decoration that was strongly influenced by
the Arts and Crafts movement, one that borrowed decorative motifs liberally
from Medieval, Islamic, and Asian sources. The commission for the Baha'i Temple
was proposed in 1909 but not decided in favor of Bourgeois until 1920.
The Baha'i Temple has a silhouette similar to that of the
Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and, like that building, is characterized by a
merging of Western and Islamic styles. The octagonal dome and drum are
decorated in a combination of Gothic tracery and Islamic arabesque decoration
that encloses a centralized worship space much like the centrally-planned
Byzantine churches. Some of the curving and undulating elements of the façade
may refer to Art Nouveau. The peers separating the eight sides of the building
bear the names of the major prophets of all world religions.
 |
| Baha’I Temple of Worship, Entrance. Photo © 2015 Davis Art Images. (8S-14102) |
The main entrance door bears a scalloped, horseshoe arch
similar to those seen at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, and the Great Mosque
in Cordobá.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art 1 1.1;
Explorations in Art 2 6.31, 6.33; Explorations in Art 3 4.20; Explorations in
Art 4 3.16, 3.18; Explorations in Art 5 2.12; Explorations in Art 6 4.19, 4.20;
A Community Connection 7.4; Exploring Visual Design 1, 7, 8; The Visual Experience
11.4, 16.6; Discovering Art History 16.1
Although those structures are beautiful but you should know that the founder of the Baha'i cult held some very ugly beliefs that the Baha'is will never tell you about. Hidden deep within the Arabic writings of the cult founder, Baha'u'llah, are very nasty statements aimed at those that denied Baha'ism. Baha'u'llah literally calls those that deny him bastards, pigs, donkeys and animals. He goes as far as telling one of his deniers that he has been turned into a donkey by Baha'u'llah's spirit. He even threatens to deprive of all graces anyone that refers to those that deny him as human. You might want to see this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bahaibahai.com/eng/index.php/articles?id=86
Interesting. I guess he shows his human side, just like the prophets for all major religions have done.
Delete