Louis Sullivan: The Poetry Of Architecture

The great American architect Louis Sullivan believed that art should reveal the creative method of nature. The greatest artist was the poet, whose understanding of nature spurred social change, in his writings, drawings, and architectural designs, Sullivan's poetic genius is apparent, as is his life objective, a rebirth of American democracy through cultural reform.

This volume is both a tribute to Sullivan's poetic vision and a catalogue of all his graphic work. The authors, Robert Twombly and Narciso G. Menocal, discuss the social implications of Sullivan's theories of architecture based on nature, with visual proof of his passion in illustrations of his work on paper and in three dimensions. A translation of "Etude sur l'inspiration, ' Sullivan's seminal and heretofore unpublished credo in verse, is further testimony to the architect's vision.

The final section of the book is an illustrated catalogue of all extant Louis Sullivan drawings, some never before published. From his student sketches to intricate studies of ornamentation, the drawings follow Sullivan's evolution as an artist, architect, and social critic.