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"Glamourized Houses": Neutra, Photography and the Kaufmann House

Article  in  Journal of Architectural Education · November 1993

DOI: 10.1080/10464883.1993.10734582

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"Glamourized Houses": Neutra, Photography, and the Kaufmann House
Author(s): Simon Niedenthal
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Journal of Architectural Education (1984-), Vol. 47, No. 2 (Nov., 1993), pp. 101-112
Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Inc.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1425171 .
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 "Glamourized
Houses":
andtheKaufmann
Neutra,Photography, House

SIMON Art CenterCollegeofDesign

NIEDENTHAL,

Thecurrentdebateon reproduction andarchitec-

which a house can become identified with its sideredas the resultof a carefullyorchestrated
turalpublication has establishednewtermsforthe
examination of architectural photographs. No photographic image. As such, it offersan irre- publishing event. The twilight photograph
longertreatedsimplyas a speciesof architectural sistible entry point into the currentdebate on that was produced during Shulman's work at
documentation-such as renderingsor plans-
of buildingare acknowledged as representation. The belief that an architec- the house stands apart from the other photo-
photographs tural photograph could serve as an object of
sharinginthe culturalpowerof the photographic graphs, differentiatedby atmospheric effects,
mediumandmustconsequently be examinedas adevotion is a provocative one, in light of re- the presence of an observer,and the strongly
formof socialproduction. Thepublication of cent scholarship based on the writings of manifested presence of the printer. The com-
RichardNeutra's1946 Kaufmann housereveals
the powerof the printmediainthe establishment Walter Benjamin. For Benjamin, it is pre- bined effect of these qualities was described
of an architecturalcanon;moreover,Neutra'shabit cisely the loss of ritual associations-the in Life magazine as a "glamourous" treat-
of reworking photographs of his builtdesigns "aura"ofthe art work-through reproduc- ment, and the image was singled out-by the
suggeststhe appropriateness of reexamining his
tion that characterizesthe photographic me- media and by Neutra himself-to represent
contributionto the legacyof involving photography
andthe mediainthe architectural process. dium.4 Beatriz Colomina has extended the house. Approaching the Shulman photo-
Benjamin's arguments, drawing on Jacques graph as a critical locus, and tracing the ex-
Lacan and Roland Barthes to locate photog- tensive correspondence in the Neutra
raphy and architecturalpublishing as the site archives, we begin to raise important ques-
of a form of construction based upon the tions about the way in which the architect
JULIUS SHULMAN'S TWILIGHT PHOTOGRAPH OF logic of the mass media: "Until the advent of himself functioned as readerand consumer of
Richard Neutra's 1946 Kaufmann house is photography, and earlier of lithography, the images of his own architecture. One impor-
among the most familiar of all architectural audience of architecture was the user. With tant benefit of this inquiry-in light of the
images. By 1953, when Dione Neutra sent a photography, the illustrated magazine, and current debate on photographic representa-
number of clippings to the client, the image tourism, architecture'sreception began to oc- tion occurring in both the trade and the
had been published in India, South Africa, cur through an additional social form: con- scholarly press-is that it may serve to make
Czechoslovakia, and Argentina as well as in sumption."5 Colomina's terms of reference strangea very familiarimage.
some of the most widely circulatedconsumer have broadened the criticism of architectural The first stage of the publishing pat-
and trade publications in this country.' Years photography, which until now has been lim- tern of the Kaufmannhouse began with a let-
later, in an oral history project, Dione Neutra ited to narrow questions of photographic ter from Henry Wright to Neutra in January
testified to the importance of Shulman'spho- style, assuming that photographs derive their 1947, and closed with the publication of the
tographic treatment to the prominence of the meaning and usefulness from a cargo of for- house in Life and Architectural Forum in
Kaufmann house in her husband's canon: mal information and ignoring the economic April and June 1949. The production of the
"Mr. Shulman made some very beautiful and hierarchyinscribedon the process of produc- photograph can be traced in the Neutra ar-
stunning photographs, and then Mr. Neutra tion and publication.6 chives in the correspondence between three
made some very beautifuland stunning slides. If Shulman's image has indeed become principals: Neutra the architect, Edgar
... I mean, this just simply became his most an object of uncritical devotion, it is not be- Kaufmann the owner (an established patron
famous house; that's how it developed."2 cause of the way in which the photograph of architecture who had commissioned
Neutra's biographer Thomas Hines further functions as architecturalcommunication, as Wright's Fallingwater), and Julius Shulman
confirms the belief that the single Shulman an expression of Neutra's design intent; in the photographer. The strategy of publica-
image, "one of modern architecture's most fact, evidence in the Neutra archives at tion was largelyshaped by Henry Wright, the
brilliant and famous photographs," was re- UCLA suggests that any number of other editor of ArchitecturalForum. In his January
sponsible for the success of the house: photographs of the Kaufmann house would 18, 1947, letter, Wright solicits Neutra for
"Shulman'sinterpretationswere widely pub- be better suited to that task. Nor will this es- projectsfor an April 1947 issue on "Worksin
lished, and the house was internationally ac- say attempt to fix the appeal of the image in Progress.""The object of the issue," Wright
claimed."3The image is, indeed, widely held stylistic qualities somehow inherent in the wrote "is to give Forumreadersa snapshot-
to be a "modernist icon"-"an object," ac- photograph. Our reception of this image is almost an 'action photograph'-of this year's
cording to Websters,"of uncriticaldevotion." ratherthe result of a much more complex so- building crop, highlighting new trends and
The Kaufmann house is perhaps one cial process. The original impact of the showing which old ones are now firmly es-
of the most striking examples of the way in Kaufmann house photographs must be con- tablished."7Notice that the Kaufmann house

1 01 Niedenthal

1. KaufmannResidence (1946), Palm Springs, CA. Photograph by Julius Shulman.
was nearingcompletionsparkeda flurryof
telegramsand letters,in which Wrightindi-
cated his interestin seeing materialon the
houseand reassuredNeutrathatpublication
of construction shots would not interfere
with a full presentationof the house after
completion.8 A February 22 wire from
Neutra requested that Forum update
Kaufmannregardingthe materialthey had
beensentandtheirpublicationintentions.9
A wire from Kaufmannto Neutraon
March1 gavea senseof the controloverpub-
licationthat the clientwas preparedto exer-
cise and the reach of his influence in the
magazineworld:
FOLLOWING TELEPHONE
CONVERSATION SO THAT
November 1993 JAE 47/2
THERE CAN BE NO MISUNDER-
STANDING IT IS DEFINITELY
UNDERSTOOD BETWEEN US
THAT THE PICTURES YOU HAD
TAKEN DURING THE PAST
WEEK ARE FOR YOUR OWN
PERSONAL FILES AND NOT TO
BE RELEASED FOR PUBLICA-
TION THROUGH ANY MEDIA.
THE YOUNG LADY WHO REP-
RESENTS HOUSE AND GARDEN
SHOULD BE ADVISED BY YOU
AS SHE CAME TO THE HOUSE
THROUGH YOUR INTRODUC-
TION AND NO ARTICLE IS TO
BE RELEASED EXCEPTING
WITH MY CONSENT. I HAVE
NOTIFIED ALBERT KORNFELD
1 02
TO THIS EFFECT. WILL YOU
KINDLY ACKNOWLEDGE THIS
TELEGRAM AS A MATTER OF
RECORD- EJ KAUFMANN.10
Meanwhile, photography of the house
by Shulman went forward. He recently re-
counted the process of making the photo-
graph (Figure 1):
I had been in the house with Richard
Neutra for three days, photographing
interiors and exteriors around the
clock. Towards twilight I looked out-
side towards the east... of the house
... towards the desert ... I saw the
light fading and it looked beautiful. ...
I ran out and looked back at the
mountains and saw the twilight was
forming . . . and I ran back in the
house, got my camera, and set it up
out here.... I got the camera focused
and set it on the composition I wanted.
When I was running out with my cam-
era and shoulder bag, Neutra called
me.... He said 'wait a minute, where
are you going?' I said 'well now Rich-
ard, come on outside, its beautiful....
He said 'no we don't do it, we haven't
got the time, we have got to do more
interiors.'I said we can't stop this."
The photograph was executed during three
separate exposures on a single sheet of film
over 45 minutes. No artificial illumination
was used in the house, but Shulman gave dif-
ferent light sources different exposures, leav-
ing the camera between exposures to switch
them off and on. The first exposure was for
the overall exterior illumination and some of
the house lights; the second for the exterior
soffit lighting and other interior lights. For
the third exposure, Shulman asked Mr.
Kaufmann to turn on the pool light, and
posed Mrs. Kaufmann to block the glare.12
The Kaufmann house was first pub-
 '
e* **'**
'^ * - '* X
* '
1?;
jC' . 1. e'r lished-without this shot-in the LA Times
*. - .t iSLitCLi????
rEl)in, *C`i
-?tk. ...'
S;?i??
"- 'I" Homesection on June 15, 1947 (Figure2).
4 Lc?. * i**? *.;;l:.i*L ..*;L ,*.g I Ji _,1*
Zt.( ,.e??*r`
?)erSfi.
.F "
Z;rY*:
Kaufmannapparently consentedto localpub-
i* s
h *. e'
licationearlyon-despite Neutra'sconcerns
thatlocalpublicationwouldimpairthe pros-
pectsfornationalpublication13andthe Times
* . ( 4i I1 >' * seizedthe opportunity,thoughthe photogra-
pherinitiallyhiredto executethejob wasnot
Shulman, but rathera photographerwho
styledhimself"Bernard of Hollywood,"with
whomthe Timeshadworkedpreviously.(It is
amusingto see the ever-correctKaufmannre-
ferto the photographer in correspondenceas
"Mr.Bernardof Hollywood.") By May of
1947 both Shulmanand Bernardof Holly-
wood had executedbodiesof photographsof
the house,but Bernard'sshotsgot caughtin
an approval loop between Neutra and
Kaufmannand werein Pittsburghwhen the
Timeswentto presswith the story.Shulman's
shotswereruninstead.Neutraattributedthis
mix-upto a desireto publishquickly:"The
LosAngelesTimesevidentlyrushedthismatter
throughtheirscheduleto havewhattheycall
a scoop."14The first publication of the house
disappointed Neutra,who reportedto his cli-
ent that "thecolor plateswere not brought
into coincidencein the printingand so the
pictureswereblurredon the prettypoorpa-
per.... I hopetheydo not obliterate yourfine
memory of the house."15As for Bernard,
Neutratriedto placatehim with the prospect
of nationalpublicationof his shotsin Lifeand
ArchitecturalForum,16but it wasnot to be un-
til 1949 thatthe housewaspublishedin those
magazines, andtheshotswereShulman's.
The strategyof limitinginitialpublica-
tion of the houseto LifeandArchitectural Fo-
rum-that is, to one consumerandone trade
magazine-wasdevelopedby Kaufmannand
HenryWrightin concert,and announcedto
Neutra in a letter from Wright datedJune
2. Los Angeles Times Home Magazine, June 15, 1947. (Reproduced from microfilm.Photo by Julius
Shulman. Copyright? 1947, Los Angeles Times. Reprintedwith permission.) 17, 1947. The lettersuggeststhe subtlecon-
trol that Wright exercisedover the entire
publishing process. "As you suggested,
Howard and I saw Mr. Kaufmannon his

103 Niedenthal
visitto New Yorka monthor so ago,anddis-
cussed the whole thing with him. He was
verycordial,and askedour adviceon the en-
tire publishing pattern. He added that he
preferredto have the job well presentedin
one or two magazinesandwould ratherthat
it not appeartoo widely.We havesince re-
ceiveda letterfromhim agreeingto our pro-
posal that it be published only in The
Architectural Forumand Life."Wrightthen
proposed that it would be "desirableto all
concerned"to postpone publication until
early1948, to reshootsome angleswhen the
landscaping grewin andthe temporary furni-
turewas replaced."Itwould, of course,"he
continues,"beperfectlypossibleto publish
the materialas it now stands,and we would
haveno greatobjectionto doingso. ButI be-
lieve,in this respect,Mr. Kaufmann'sdesire
to get the best possiblepresentationin the
firstinstanceshouldbe honoredunlessthere
is some importantreasonfor earlierpublica-
tion. I understandfrom Shulmanthat the
possibilityof others making unauthorized
picturesduringthe time the house in unoc-
cupiedis ratherremote.Sinceallthe glasshas
beencoveredwith paperon the inside,satis-
factorypicturescould hardlybe obtained."'7
This letter is a good exampleof the way in
which the variousinterestsengagedin the
publicationof architecture aredelicatelybal-
anced. Neutra'sinterestsmay havefavored
early and wide publication, as a means of
drawingupon the noveltyvalueand obtain-
ing immediatecommissions,but Wrightpre-
sents the publishingprogramas being the
will of Neutra'sclient,and the architecthas
no choice but to acquiesce. The house is
treatedlikesomeclassifiedautomotiveproto-
type,and the strategieshere-to controlthe
accessto the imagesof the house,to manage
scarcityas a meansof maximizingimpact-
arethoseof advertising.
Although publication of Shulman's
photographscontinued in foreignpublica-
tions through1947 and into 1948, national
November 1993 JAE 47/2
publicationin the UnitedStatesdid not pro-
ceed as planned.Communicationsbetween
Neutra and Kaufmannin November 1947
suggesta growingriftoverthe architect'sfee,
which appearsto have souredthe relation-
ship. In any case, Kaufmannseemsto have
growncool to the proposalto reshootin De-
cember, despite a letter from Shulman to
Wrightconfirmingthatthe landscapinghad
grownin.18The genialqualityof Neutra'slet-
ters barely masks a growing frustration,
openlyexpressedat last in lettersfromMay
of 1948. "Thesuppression of publicationis a
decideddamage,"he writeson May 15, and
he expandsuponthisthemetwo dayslater:
From our earliercorrespondence,I
had understoodthat you preferredto
use theArchitectural Forumand Lifeas
mediafor publicationand on this as-
sumption,other editorialofferswere
set aside.It seems that the postpone-
ment of the publication for several
yearshas rathercooled the interestof
these editors and naturallywill con-
tinueto do so, as noveltyattractsthese
publishersevenmorethanquality....
As you seemedto feel it inconvenient
to permitthis photography,I triedto
dissuade the editors to bother you.
However,privatelyspeakingto you as
my client, I should be happyto take
and see pictures,especiallycolor pic-
tures,which as I said lastyearwould
completelysatisfyme and might give
you pleasurealso. The delight a de-
signertakesin a good shot of his pet
projectis not to be classedas shallow
egotism,and it is spirituallyand mate-
riallya lossto him not to haveit.19
Despite Neutra'sconcernsabout the
fadingnoveltyof the Kaufmannhouse,it fi-
nallyreceivedpublicationin the tradepress
Forum
in theJune 1949 issueof Architectural
(Figures3 and 4). The articleconsisted of
1 04
two spreads,the firstshot being reproduced
in color.The shotwhichhascometo standas
the modernisticon receivesa good placein
the layout,but its sizeaffordsit no moreim-
pact than any of the otherangles.Compare
the tradepublicationof the Kaufmannhouse
to the singleimagethatappearedin theApril
11, 1949, issueof Life(Figure5). If thispho-
tographis consideredan icon, the confirma-
tion of its status must surelydate from its
publication in this immensely influential
publication.The most obviousdifferenceis
that the house isn't the centerof attention;
rather,the photographitselfis highlighted.It
is publishedunder Shulman'sname. Note
the caption-"GlamourizedHouses,""Pho-
tographer JuliusShulmanis a masterat mak-
ing them look dramatic"-and the
description how the shot was executed
of
technically: "Neutra house in California
desertwas photographedat duskby firstex-
posing for artificiallight, then for twilight.
Pool terracecontainscoilsthroughwhichice
waterflowsby dayandhot waterby nightto
maintainconstantcomfort."Accordingto
RolandBarthes,photographicmeaningis a
fluidthing,determinedby the relationship of
an imageto otherimagesand to its context,
including captions.20The use of modifiers
suchas "glamourized" and "dramatic" in the
text begin to fix the readingof Shulman's
photographandestablishits iconicauthority
in relationto Hollywoodandthe film indus-
try.21Further,this presentationimpliesthat
whatsetsShulman'sphotographapartis the
way in which "glamour"and "drama"are
superaddedto the architecturethroughthe
photographictreatment,in the mannerof
fashionandstarphotography.
In relationto otherimagesof architec-
ture-and the othershotsof the house-this
one indeedhas a veryromanticquality,and
thereis an interestingdissonancebetweenthe
architecture andthe mannerof its representa-
tion.Althoughthe designis thoroughlyup to
date,the mannerof the photographis quite
 ...~~~~~~~~~~......... .... r,

painterlyin its evocation of mood: for ex-

ample,in the strongand artificialburningof
the skyvalues,in the atmosphericqualitiesof
twilight,and in the presenceof the solitary
observer.The styleof the photographrefers
back to the pictorialist tradition of early-
twentieth-century photographyand,through
it, drawingon andreinforcing an aestheticas-
sociated with paintings of artists such as
CasparDavid Friedrich,for example,several
of whoseworksportraythe silentcontempla-
tion of architecturalsubjects(Figure6). A
photographthataspiresto paintingbecomes
problematicwhen Benjamin'stermsarerein-
troduced.Indeed,it is photography'sloss of
the auraof painting through reproduction
thatis its definingfeature.The veryuseof the
termicon in referenceto this photograph- *"""ii!iliii"I
I:?e
with its devotionalassociations-speaks of )jl;
5 nu. =

the desireto reinvestphotographywith lost

ritualvalue. 3. ArchitecturalForum,June 1949.
Neutra'schief influencein the process
of creatingan architectural icon canbe traced
in his patternof submittingShulman'sphoto
to architecturaland consumerpublications.
By June 1947, there is evidence that this
photograph,which can be tracedin corre- .............
7. , **
...i...... :........
;::I i
:2.I. i *. ~
-?I"""""1

spondencethroughits catalognumber,KP- .......... ....

..... ....
. ... . .........
i^
I- , ' ,,;'
:,.......
E-30,wasbeingsubmittedto publicationson ,-:
r?!
ii.l.
!.
::.......l;
,.:.. ?e ei .! .....
,.......,.i ?...?? ;....
r
,......
;?'?" ' ; . . . . ....
its own, to standfor the entirebody of pho- ,?'!......I.-..
} li .....
? ?i i? : : ?!

..'r.... .
... v _i_v
...II
tographsof the house.22 Withinseveralyears, ??
1

;?r
:!.. ... :......
'i!:r.:....!. it : ??I ?- ?. ?; . i ?! ?
aolud _..J?----
,l.
r.Y,
| v??????
v ?_i?w!,.
_!:u. - .,..., ...... ??
the photographwas suppliedin responseto ..1r ._.. < :::;,;
.:- ..........
!;;'. :,e
:,'.l
.,.. :l
?.ri.s.P ~~~
.,I.~~~~
requestsfor printsof representativeNeutra
r....... . f .

~r
.i .. .,

i :or- .r < e ??! ?r.? .?!? | r:.:? . :? .

.. q- .?? ..??? L: :? ..:1

R?SIFBe?
projects.And yet it is odd that the architect ......., ?:
shouldsinglethis photographout. Fromthe i

verybeginning,accordingto Shulman'snar- - 't=;,... I.p

..-o r
,r;
'''
rative,Neutraresistedphotographing the ex- -*J..
.r
,:
i

terior,preferringinsteadto concentrateon
interiors.Moretellingis the factthatthe twi- j
Ir
light shot fails to adequatelycommunicate -7g
Neutra's design intentions. In a letter to !~ .,

Shulmanregardingthe photographyof the

Kaufmannhouse, Neutradirectedthe pho-
tographerto bearin mindthat"Neatnessand t

clarity were our design intentions."23In nu-

merousinstancesNeutra declaredthat the 4. ArchitecturalForum,June 1949.

1 05 Niedenthal
 1 1 i ] i 1i i

Mr. Neutrawould ask them, 'Why did you

come to me?'And they'dsay, 'Well,we saw
this book of houses,and we lookedthrough
it, and every time we came to a house we
liked and we'd look at the end, it was a
Neutra house." 26 It was clearly in Neutra's
characterto embracean effectivelyplaced
photographwhetheror not it did justiceto
his expresseddesignintentions.
WhateverNeutra thought about the
fact that the Life photograph of the
Kaufmannhouse was published as an ex-
ampleof Shulman'shandiworkratherthan
his own, he soon attemptedto capitalizeon
the notoriety of the house by shopping
\ ; \S Shulman'sphotographsto the companies
+
G \(tIll!
[ffiffitir, i '.t .11S1t.tD) I I(t.!
) Ui Slew
Fs * T1:u::r:.....?
thatsuppliedthe housewith everythingfrom
rib ?
locksto showerdoors,presumablyfor use in
r

""' .1*,,I..
advertising:

5. Life,April11, 1949. The magazineArts and Architecture,

whichbringsa presentation of thisun-
usualbuildingin its forthcomingissue,
has askedus to furnishthem photo-
graphswhich could also serve your
greaterresearchaim of the Kaufmannhouse towardarchitectural photographsandthe ex- purposes,who havedone a commend-
design was to advance the feasibilityof desert pression of tastesthat had lessto do with ar- ablejob on yourshowerdoors,which
habitation; the house was to serve,as he put chitecturalcommunication. we have used in the most diversified
it, as a "testobjectfor furtherdesertbuilding The fluidity of Neutra's responseto projects.
of largerscope."24Of all the exterior shots of the Kaufmannhousephotographreflectshis
the house published until 1949, however, sensitivityto the powerof the publishedar- The mentionedphotographs area very
this particularshot probablysaysless about chitectural photograph as a means of self-pro- successful job of the photographer,
its characteras a desertstructurethan any motion.It is apparentfromNeutra'swritings Julius Shulman,and you can obtain
other.The desertsimplydoesnot appearin it regardingthe Kaufmannhouse publication themfromMr. RobertCron,Artsand
because, with the exception of the moun- that he was veryfamiliar with the process of Architecture. You possibly have no-
the are
tains, surroundings largelysuppressed architectural publishing. Hines noted ticed the double page spreadwhich
by twilight. Strictlyspeaking we could say Neutra's at
earlyadeptness self-promotion: one of these photos had in Life,April
that a photographlike the cover of the LA "Hewaswillingand able,via skillfulpublic- 11, 1949 and which has brought
TimesHomemagazinewoulddo Neutra'sin- ity, to maximizeand give meaningto what broadnationalattentionto this build-
tentionsgreaterjustice.The conflictbetween would otherwisehavebeen minorcommis- ing which your installation helped
Neutra'soft-expresseddesign aims and the sions."25Understood in the crudestsense, makea success.27
way in which the house is represented in the publishedphotographsbrought him com-
Shulman'sshot raisesinterestingquestions missions."Allthe clientscamethroughpub- Beyondhis sensitivityto opportunities
about his handling of the photograph;his lications, I would say," Dione Neutra for self-promotion,however,Neutra'shan-
eventualchampioningof the image can be concluded;further,"wehad one experience dling of the Kaufmannhouse photograph
seenas a hint of a somewhatdividedattitude afteranotherthat clientswould come, and also testifiesto the personalimportanceof

November1993 JAE47/2 1 06
photographyto his designprocess.The belief
thatthe act of photographymustbe directed
towardrecoveringNeutra'sdesignintention
can be readin this reminiscenceby Dione
Neutra: "And I remember,later on, how,
when houseswerephotographed,we would 1''
"II
W.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p~~~'4

bringall the shrubbery

the shrubbery,
along:we wouldplant
we wouldholdbranchesin or-
m
I
I
.
I
. ;I

der to complete his conception, and we N. i~~~~~~~~~

would alsobringfurniturealongand photo- O j~~~~~~~~~~~~
graphthe houseas long as it was emptyand
not defiled by old furniture."28This example
may be somewhat more extreme than the
currentpractice,thoughnot unlikeit; notice
thatthe stylingandlandscaping
wereseverely
controlledto "complete"Neutra'sconcep-
tion. Shulmanfurtherrecallsthat Neutra's
practicebeforea shootwasto walkthrougha
projectwith his Leicaand shoot a roll as a
meansof exactlypredeterminingShulman's
cameraplacement and height.29According to
the photographer, Neutra's control of the
framing was directed particularlyat restoring
elements of his design that had been changed
in the construction process: "In his case,"
Shulman tells, "he was devious. He would at-
tempt to cover up, change, improve, hide
certain elements that were not done accord-
ing to his design intent." It was apparently
not uncommon for Neutra to shoot along-
side Shulman, as we can see in a photograph
of the Miramarchapel (Figure 7).
Neutra transferredthis habit of using
the photographic process as a means of com-
pleting his conception to his handling of the
prints, which afforded him-through their
plastic quality-with an even more flexible
means of reestablishing his design concep-
tion. Neutra contributed an introduction to 6. Caspar David Friedrich,Sisters on the Harbor-viewTerrace (Harborby Night).
Shulman's 1962 design text Photographing
Architectureand Interiors.Titled "The Pho-
tographerand Architect,"the piece is associa-
tive and convoluted rather than linear in its
structure, interweaving Neutra's musings on
topics as diverse as photography and cave
painting. It is possible, however, to extract

107 Niedenthal

7. Detail,Miramar
Chapel.NeutraandLeicaat lowerleft.(Photo
byJuliusShulman.CourtesyDioneNeutraandDepartment
ResearchLibrary,
SpecialCollections,University UCLA.)
themesthatrecurin Neutra'swritingson ar-
chitecturalphotographyconcerningthe roles
of architectandphotographer andthe usesof
the medium.He spokelessaboutthe roleof
architectural photography as a meansof com-
municating architecturalideas thanaboutthe
significance photographs a projectto
of of
the designingarchitect.As with his May 17,
1948, letter to Kaufmann,in which he ex-
pressedhis desireto havephotographsforhis
own enjoyment regardlessof publication,
Neutrawrote in the introductionaboutthe
personalpleasurearchitecturalphotographs
affordedhim. Photographsof his projects
stimulatedNeutra'smemoryof the design
process:"Do we just like beautifulphoto-
graphsof our buildings?"he opened the in-
troduction. "What makes me happy is a
design idea fitting sensitivelyinto the land-
scapeas I mayhavecarriedit with me. Now,
suddenly,it appearsagain,clearlyhinted at
least,in a stillpicture."30
One of the importantthemes in the studyingthe 8 x 10 prints."32 Colominahas
introductionis perception,and the waysin noted the importanceof photographyto Le
which the spatialperceptionof architecture Corbusier's"elliptical"design process,as a
differsfrom that capturedby the optics of meansby whicharchitecture can be returned
still photography.Neutra insistedupon re- from"theworldof phenomena"and reexpe-
servingto architectureits spatialqualities: riencedin the "realmof ideas":"Construc-
"Architecture is not frozenmusic-it is noth- tion is a significantmoment in the process,
ing frozenat all! It playson us in time, the but by no meansthe end product.Photogra-
vividtime of our livingresponseswhichmelt phy and layout constructanotherarchitec-
one momentinto the next... A photograph, turein the spaceof the page."33 Clearly,the
of course, cannot be looked at in so many sentimentNeutraexpressedto Shulmansug-
ways.Fromthe momentit wasexposedonto geststhat,likeLe Corbusier,Neutraappreci-
the negative behind the lens, it was 'fro- ated reexperiencinghis architecturein the
zen."'31Despitethis intellectualgraspof the realmof ideas.Thereare,however,some im-
limitationsof photography,however,there portantdifferences;unlikeLe Corbusier,his
can be no doubtthatphotographicprintsaf- handlingof photographs wasnot directedto-
fordedNeutra a compelling and gradually warda publishingproject,but appearsrather
more seductive means of "completinghis a purelypersonalexercise.For Neutra, the
conception,"of recapturing andprogressively design conception was complete not when
of refining for himself his originaldesigninten- conceived,or built,but when photographed
tions.Thereexistin the archivesa numberof andreexperienced.
8 x 10 prints that have been markedwith Neutra'sprocessof recoveringand re-
greasepencil. Some of the prints also have fining his design intentions in relation to
text on the backin Neutra'shand. Printsof photographscan be most fullywitnessedin
the Perkins,Sciobelli,and Singletonhouses thewayin whichhe workswith a printof the
as well as the San Pedro Hacienda and 1959 ClaremontMethodistChurch(Figure
ClaremontMethodistChurch,amongoth- 8). A print of the nave in the archivesnot
ers,exhibitretouching.On some prints,val- only exhibitsgreasepencil retouching,but
ues are darkenedin areasof emphatichigh the photographerhas also used a mask in
contrast;on otherscertainmaterialsor sur- printingto controltheviewof the mountains
facesaredeleted;furnishings of whichNeutra beyond.Neutradarkenedthe contrastyaltar
apparentlydid not approvewereexcised,as rail,extendedthe rightedgeof the mountains
weremechanicalinstallationsthatbreakout- outsidethe window,and alsobroughtdown
lines and apparentlydisturbthe originalde- the values of some bright areasof exterior
sign intent. He often darkenedin areasof landscaping.He wrote on the back of the
rawlandscaping. The printsin the Neutraar- print:"ClaremontMethodismstartedin the
chivesarecrudelyretouchedandnot publish- open landscape.The left halfof the altarwall
able,suggestingthat the alterationwas done is a resoundingorgan chamberbehind an
as a personalratherthan promotionalexer- acousticallypermeadrape.The righthalfre-
cise. Shulmanconfirmsthis interpretation: vealsa mountainscenerywhichrisesto snow
"Neutratold me that one of his greatplea- cappedMt. SanGorgonio,whichis gradually
sureswas to takemy 8 x 10 picturesto bed revealed,as the worshiperproceeds... to-
and markthe prints,studyingthem.He said wardthe communionrail."It is instructiveto
he didn'tget pleasurein the processof con- see Neutraattemptingto supplythe missing
structionbecauseof the constant fighting, temporalelement in his descriptionon the
but he enjoyedthe greatpleasurehe obtained back,andperhapshis extensionof the line of
November1993 JAE47/2 1 08
the mountainsis an attemptto simulatethe
viewfroman angleotherthanthe one chosen
by the photographeror even to simulatea
moving perspective.His jottings on the print
were expanded in the introduction to
Shulman'sbook:"Achurchnavemayleadto
an altarwall with one-halfof it open onto a
snowymountainpeak.It is a thrillto behold
but photographicallythat peak becomes a
mere unimportantspeck on the photo ...
How can the photographer expressmy com-
positional thoughts for the Claremont
Church in its landscapeanchorage,except
perhapsby a series of shots: when parish- I
ioners approachthe communion rail, the
churchstandsfixed-but the view onto the
snowy mountainchain unrollslike a ritual,
everwideningto the right,the moretheyad-
vanceto the tallsilhouettedcross."Although
Neutra cited this project as an example
photography's to representarchi-
incapability 8. Claremont Methodist Church(1959). Grease pencil retouching most evident on altar rail. (Courtesy
tecture, he did so, paradoxically,after re- Dione Neutra and Department of Special Collections, UniversityResearch Library,UCLA.)

experiencinghis designin relationto a pho-

tographic print. It is instructiveonce again to
contrastNeutra'salterationof photographs
with Le Corbusier'spractice.Colominahas
shown that Corbusiermade drawingsafter
photographs: "Apparentlyaimless (these
drawingswerenot intendedfor publication)
this activityseemsto indicateLe Corbusier's
resistanceto the passiveintakeof photogra-
phy, to the consumption of imagesoccur-
ring in the world of tourism and mass
media."34By drawing on photographs, how-
ever,Neutra exhibitsa more passivestance
and is progressivelydrawninto theirtermsof
reference.
Neutra'suseof photographsrepresent-
himself and his practicedemonstratesa
ing
driveto find completionthroughphotogra-
phy and the media that is analogousto his
handlingof printsof his architecture.A pho-
tograph of Neutra at the Sten house (Figure
9) from around 1935 was used for display.
The relationshipthat is establishedbetween
the architect,his architecture,and natureis
consistentwith the senseof "messianicideas
of vision"that Hines findsin Neutra'schar-
acter.35The solitary observer,in a setting
whichis at once naturaland architectural re-
turnsus to the worldof Friedrich(Figure6)
and to the twilight shot of the Kaufmann
house.This mannerof representinghimself
perhaps informs his eventual use of
Shulman'sshot, but noticealso the business
card:Neutrais drawingupon this imageto
sellhimselfas Neutrathevisionaryarchitect.
Contemporary formsof analysisdraw-
ing on the workof Lacanhaveaffordedtools
forfurtherexploringthe relationship of selfto
media and illuminatingNeutra'sdrive for
completion.Colominanotes, "Lacanposits
that the mirrorconstructsthe self, that the
selfasorganizedentityis actuallyan imitation
of the cohesivenessof the mirrorimage ....
The printedmediaare the mirrorin which
one's writingsand works(often unrealized)
to theirauthorin a 'com-
returnmiraculously
plete' image."36A particularly striking ex-
ampleof usingthe mediaas a mirrorcan be
seenin Neutra'shandlingof his coverportrait
from Timemagazine(August15, 1949) (Fig-
ure 10). Dione Neutrarecountshow Neutra
wouldshowa copyof the Timecoverto gar-
ner respectfultreatment,for example,from
the airplanecrewduringlong flightsin the
fifties.Shesays,"AndMr. Neutraalwayshad
his Timecoveralong;so he wouldshowthem
the Timecover,and they would be veryex-
cited and show it to the pilots, you know, and
then we would be treated very especially."37
By 1969, Neutrahadlaminateda copyof the
cover and kept it in his wallet; he was ob-
servedby NormanCousinsusing it to get a
bettertableat a restaurant.38
Hinesacknowl-
the
edges way in which Neutra "balancedhis
complexpersonalinsecurity a forcedand
with
strainedbravado,"39
occasionally andtheseex-

109 Niedenthal
 amplessuggestthe importanceof representa-
tions in the mediato Neutra'ssearchfor ac-
ceptanceandpersonalwholeness.
Towardthe end of his life,Neutra'sin-
volvementin the photographicrepresenta-
tion of hisworksappearsto havedeepenedas
his practice waned. In July 1969, Neutra
wrotea tributeto Shulmanto be published
in the LosAngelesTimesin connectionwith
the celebration of Shulman's thirty-third
year-one-third of a century-in photogra-
phy: "It is hardto conceive,"Neutrawrote,
"thatall formerstretchesof architectural
his-
torydepend,accordingto the Romanprov-
erbon stones.Theyweresupposedto talkfor
themselvesand forever:'Saxaloquuntur.'
That is morepast,and bygone.Filmis of the
stuff to talk!-Which makes a man like
Shulman,an educatorof millions who be-
come,-if not neighborsof momentousim-
pressions,-at leastpassersby,-while they
page through a book, a magazine,a jour-
nal."40This processof consuming reproduced
imagesof architectureas a substitutefor di-
rectexperienceis preciselythe problemnow
beingaddressedin the architectural commu-
nity. In referenceto the one-thirdof a cen-
turytribute,Neutraconfidedto Shulman"I
wish an old architectcould keep going as
long as a photographer.But our darkrooms
aredarkerthan your darkrooms!And who
will havethe manymanyfilmsI leftwithyou
... who will havethemin 100 years?"41 Con-
cernfor posterity,as well as Neutra'spersis-
tent habit of seeking to reexperiencethe
designprocessthroughphotographicrepro-
duction,can perhapsexplainthe effortto re-
photographhis worknearthe end of his life.
Hines reportsmeeting Neutra in February
1970, when the architectshowed up at the
9. StenHouse.(Courtesy
DioneNeutraandDepartment
of SpecialCollections.
University
ResearchLibrary,
UCLA.) Strathmoreapartments"ladenwith cameras,
tripods,andotherphotographic equipment,"
and Neutra sharedhis plan to "revisit,sys-
tematically,eachof his buildingsin Southern
California."42In fact, Dione Neutra reports

November1993 JAE47/2 1 10
that the architectsuffereda heartattackand
diedon April16, 1970,whilephotographing
his Kemperhousein Wuppertal,Germany,43
a house that was alreadyrepresentedin his
filesby quiteserviceable prints.
To end on this note risks casting
Neutra'srelationshipwith the photographic
mediumas some sort of cautionarytale,but
the lessonsof his useof photography area bit
morecomplex.Neutraincorporated so much
of the ambivalencetowardarchitectural pho-
tographythat is currentlymanifestedin the
architecturalcommunity. His clearand el-
egantlyphrasedintellectualgraspof the limi-
tations of architectural photography
coexistedwith a deep fascinationwith the
way in whichhis architecture and,indeed,he
himself were representedin photographic
printsand the media.Shulman'sphotograph
of the Kaufmannhouse can be read,then,
not just as a documentcontaininga certain
amountof formalinformationof the house
with a superadded stylisticgloss,but as a con-
structionthatmirrorssome of the architect's
tastesand habits,as well as the largerprocess
by whichimagesof architecture areproduced
andmeaningis ascribed.
Perhapswhen the architecturalcom-
munityhas fullyappriseditselfof the limita-
tions of architecturalphotographyand the
largerproblemsinherentin the currentprac-
tice of architecturalpublicationand promo-
tion, photograph this one will be able
a like
to be correctlyappreciatedand enjoyedfor
what it is: a work that ultimatelyremainsa
compellingarchitectural fiction.

Acknowledgments 10. Time,August15, 1949.

This articlegrewout of a paperpresentedto

the LosAngeleschapterof Societyof Archi-
tecturalHistorianson March21, 1992. Spe-
cial thanks to Diane Kane, Lian Hurst
Mann,andWilliamNabers.

11 Niedenthal
Notes
1. Dione Neutra, letter to Edgar Kaufmann,
Feb. 10, 1953, Neutra Archives, UCLA.
2. Dione Neutra, To Tell the Truth,oral history
project, UCLA Special Collections, p. 294.
3. Thomas Hines, Richard Neutra and the
Search for Modern Architecture (New York: Oxford,
1982) p. 204.
4. Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction," in Hannah Arendt,
ed., Illuminations (New York: Schocken, 1969), p.
224.
5. Beatriz Colomina, Architectureproduction
(New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1988), p. 9.
6. A recent book that preserves a more limited
approach to architectural photographs is Cervin
Robinson and Joel Herschman's Architecture Trans-
formed (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1987). Robinson and
Herschman concern themselves with photographic
style, drawing terms of reference from the early rela-
tionship of architectural photography and rendering.
They proceed to trace the historic and stylistic inter-
play between the "objective" stance of elevational pho-
tographs and the "emotional" component
perspective views. Lumping photography and render-
ing together, however, denies the role of the medium
itself to be understood in analyzing the products of
each medium and reinforces the assumption that all ar-
chitectural representations derive their meaning and
usefulness from the sort of limited cargo of formal in-
formation that they share.
It is odd that almost all writings on architectural
photography focus on the decisions made by photogra-
phers who, with a few exceptions, find themselves the
most vulnerable, being at the bottom of the food chain,
View publication stats
and who consequentlytend to internalizethe expecta-
tionsof theirclientsas a meansof economicself-preser-
vation.Muchmoreimportantis the largelyunexamined
influenceof architectsand representatives
of the media
on the practiceof architectural
photography.
7. Henry Wright, letter to Richard Neutra,
Jan. 18, 1947, NeutraArchives.
8. HenryWright,wireto RichardNeutra,Feb.
19, 1947, NeutraArchives.
9. RichardNeutra,wireto HenryWright,Feb.
22, 1947, NeutraArchives.
10. EdgarKaufmann,wire to RichardNeutra,
Mar. 1, 1947, NeutraArchives.
11. Personalinterviewwith Julius Shulman,
Mar. 16, 1992.
12. Ibid.
13. RichardNeutra,letterto EdgarKaufmann,
May 17, 1947, NeutraArchives.
14. RichardNeutra,letterto EdgarKaufmann,
May22, 1947, NeutraArchives.
15. RichardNeutra,letterto EdgarKaufmann,
Aug. 1, 1947, NeutraArchives.
16. Bernardof Hollywood, letter to Edgar
Kaufmann,May 22, 1947, NeutraArchives.
17. Henry Wright, letter to RichardNeutra,
of June 17, 1947, NeutraArchives.
18. Julius Shulman, letter to Henry Wright,
Dec. 6, 1947, NeutraArchives.
19. RichardNeutra,letterto EdgarKaufmann,
May 17, 1948, NeutraArchives.
20. As quoted in Beatriz Colomina, "Le
Corbusierand Photography," Assemblage4, p. 9, 1987.
21. A letter from Bernardof Hollywood to
EdgarKaufmann(May 31, 1947, Neutra Archives)
suggests that the choice of this photograph by Life
might also reflectthe magazine'seditorialpolicy of fa-
voringpeopledphotographsof architecture.
November 1993 JAE 47/2 1 12
22. RichardNeutra,letterto Fortunemagazine,
June 1947, NeutraArchives.
23. RichardNeutra, letter to JuliusShulman,
Mar.3, 1947, NeutraArchives,quotedin Hines, Rich-
ardNeutra,p. 201.
24. RichardNeutra,letterto Bernardof Holly-
wood, May27, 1947, NeutraArchives.
25. ThomasHines, RichardNeutra, p. 70.
26. Neutra, To Tellthe Truth,p. 260.
27. R. Thorston,letterto M. Luskin,June28,
1947, NeutraArchives.
28. Neutra, To Tellthe Truth,p. 271.
29. Personalinterviewwith Julius Shulman,
Mar. 16, 1992.
30. Richard Neutra, Introduction to Julius
Shulman, PhotographingArchitectureand Interiors
(New York:Whitney,1962), p. vi
31. Ibid.
32. Interviewtranscript,LianHurstMannand
JuliusShulman,Mar. 1992.
33. Colomina, "LeCorbusierand Photogra-
phy,"p. 14.
34. Ibid.,p. 9.
35. Hines, RichardNeutra, p. 70.
36. Colomina,Architectureproduction, p. 16.
37. Neutra,To Tellthe Truth,p. 466.
38. RichardNeutra,NatureNear:LateEssaysof
RichardNeutra(SantaBarbara,CA: Capra,1989), p.
xiv.
39. Hines, RichardNeutra,p. 70.
40. RichardNeutra, letterto JuliusShulman,
Jan.29, 1969, NeutraArchives.
41 RichardNeutra, letter to Julius Shulman,
Mar. 18, 1969, NeutraArchives.
42 Hines, RichardNeutra, p. 4, 5.
43 Neutra, To Tellthe Truth,p. 470.