The Idea of Louis Sullivan (Hardcover)

by John Szarkowski (Author), Terence Riley (Contributor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the early 1950s, John Szarkowski photographed the major buildings of turn-of the century Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. Now, in presenting his photographs with excerpts from Sullivans writings and contemporary sources, he captures the mind, the spirit, and the time of this great architect.

About the Author
John Szarkowski is Director Emeritus of the Department of Photography, the Museum of Modern Art, and the author of Looking at Photographs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821226673
• ISBN-13: 978-0821226674
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #925,117 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A visual treat and treatise on early 20th century architecture, July 12, 2008

By	J Martin Jellinek (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Idea of Louis Sullivan was first published in the 1950s and highlights the architecture of one of the mavericks of skyscraper architecture. The text gives a brief biography of Mr. Sullivan's life. The rest of the book consists of excerpts from various texts dealing with architecture and the challenges of leaving the mainstream. This text is interesting, but sometimes in is a bit too removed from the original text, leaving the reader trying to understand what the text is saying. However, the photography is amazing. The viewer is treated to crystal clear black and white photography which gives us insight into Sullivan's work. The pictures are both close ups and overviews. They show us the detailed work of an architect who understood that function really does determine the form of a building. He also understood that height is what makes skyscrapers special and emphasized this in strong vertical lines, as we can see from the more distant views. Sullivan fought the classical revival, which was all the rage of his times, and used a combination of heavy and solid Romanesque architecture with art nouveau decoration. The result is both stunning and unique.

This volumes makes a great coffee table book since it's considerable strength is visual.