Reflections of Philip Johnson’s Glass House, architect, or Mauro Restiffe’s work process, photographer

Abstract

“Series – Glass House” is a photographic experiment conducted by the artist Mauro Restiffe at the Glass House, a project designed by the North American architect Philip Johnson (1906/2005) to become his own residence in 1949, in New Canaan, Connecticut, where he lived for the rest of his life. The house not only demonstrates Johnson’s profound respect for the architecture of the German modern master Mies Van der Rohe but also its wide propagation was a decisively contribution for the success of the modern architecture in the United States of America. By photographing the house in one single visit, Mauro Restiffe articulated in 8 photographs and 9 images the architecture of the house and its surrounding garden, as well as Nicolas Poussin’s painting, unintentionally unveiling the dynamics suggested by the architect between the French artist’s work and the garden, which was set during the building of the house. The analysis of Restiffe’s work aims as secondary objectives the presentation of the dynamics fomented by Johnson and the work process of the artist.