ABSTRACT

Neumeyer's The Artless Word examines Mies's many influences. But Mies is still known for saying little about his ideas and interests. Consequently, this chapter focuses on Alison and Peter Smithson, who often stated their admiration for Mies. Their designs and writings help to locate the Farnsworth House in relation to an architectural movement committed to an appreciation of the environment and weather, which they further developed and creatively theorised as a reappraisal of the picturesque and critique of consumer society.