Changing the lines of flow alters the experience and offers a new perspective on the hidden wisdom and perfected geometry in Richard Morris Hunt’s classically inspired Breakers’ architecture. Beyond the columns one may pass into the surreal matrix they form in the light and shadow of the space itself, and become part of the seemingly mythical grace and majesty that continues to magnetize and mesmerize visitors to the site.

In the light play through carefully placed windows in the Breakers’ kitchen area one finds a moment worthy of Le Corbusier; an architectural thought and execution of Hunt’s decades ahead of its time.

Model sculpture for France’s Saint Nazaire Memorial by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney

Sometimes time, light, form and space merge in an expression of perfect harmony and beauty. If we can stand still in that moment and look beyond the surface structures, we will find an experience that transcends both time and form and carries us toward a realm of more infinite potentiality.

St. Nazaire Memorial (1926) commemorating the landing of the American Expeditionary Force in France in 1917. Original model in Gertrude’s Bedroom Suite at the Breakers facing the sea.

Another cottage by the “Breakers” Architect, Richard Morris Hunt which has become a house of art as part of the Newport Art Museum.