LOUIS SULLIVAN

American architect Louis Henry Sullivan became one of the pioneers of the rationalist architecture of the 20 th century. His work in the theory of architecture is even more significant. Sullivan set himself the ambitious task of utopia: the means of architecture to transform society and lead it to the humanistic aims. Theory of architecture, created by Sullivan, to his tumultuous emotional borders with poetry.

Louis Henry Sullivan was born on September 3, 1856 in Boston. His father, an emigrant from Ireland, was a violinist and dancing master. Almost all of Louis spent his childhood on a farm his grandfather for life saving love for nature. Consistent professional education he received. Entering the age of sixteen in the first U. S. school of architecture, opened in 1866, Massachusetts Institute of Polytechnic, he has a year left her, and worked briefly in the atelier of Philadelphia architect F. Furness, an adherent of the romantic neo-Gothic.

In his autobiography - "Autobiography of ideas" - he later wrote:

: Luis Interest in engineering in general and to the [two] bridges, in particular, so much captured his imagination, that for some time he dreamed of becoming an engineer Fourth quarter. The idea of overlapping voids powerfully attracted him and in theory and in practice. He began to realize that among people who lived in the past and living in his day, there are people - the owners of ideas, people of courage and that they stand apart, each shutting himself in his own world. But the practical result of the impact of bridges Louis was that it shifted his thoughts directly with engineering science to science in general, and with a new zeal, he began reading the works of Spencer, Darwin, Huxley, Tyndall and German scientists, and before it was disclosed a new, epic world, a world that did not seem to have no limits on volume, not content, or for diversity. This course of reading was not completed for the month of the year for many years, he still continues. "

Within a few months in 1874 Sullivan visited the Paris School of Fine Arts, but in 1875 he returned to the United States, in Chicago, where his family settled, and began working in various architectural schools.

In 1879, Sullivan joined the studio Dankmara Adler and two years later became his companion.

Photo — «Louis Sullivan»

Once again I turn to the autobiography of the architect:

: May 1, 1880 Company D. Adler and K ° moved into a beautiful suite of offices on the upper floor of the Borden Block. May 1, 1881 on the doors of the building appeared the inscription: "The architectural firm Adler and Sullivan. "

: Luis felt now under the feet of a firm foothold, a point that could serve as his starting point for entry into the wide world. Having assumed responsibility for this world, he boldly met with him.

Now he could go without interference by practical experimentation, to which he had long aspired, and which would lead to an architecture responsive to their function - a realistic architecture, based on precisely defined utilitarian needs, all the practical considerations of utility should be of paramount importance as a basis for planning and design. No authoritative judgments in architecture, there is no tradition or prejudice, no habits should not stand in the path. He sweep aside all this, no matter whose opinion. An immutable for him was the conviction: to architectural art has found its time corresponding to its intrinsic value, it must be malleable: devoid of any sense conditional conservatism should be banished from the architecture, it must be reasonable and not suppressed. So in his hands form will naturally grow from the needs and reflect these needs openly and fresh. In his bold imagination, this meant that he put to the test formula, which developed during a long observation of living beings, namely that form follows function, which in practice means that the architecture can become a living art, if indeed follow this formula:

In joint work with Adler - this experienced engineer and organizer, the ability Sullivan appeared in full in accordance with the specialization, typical for the second half of the XIX century, Sullivan took the decision to artistic problems, while Adler was engaged not only the business and engineering side their work, but also planning, spatial organization of buildings.

The first major collaborative work of Adler and Sullivan was the creation of "Auditorium" in Chicago (1887-1889) - the largest in the United States of the theater (4237 seats), a prisoner in a shell of ten-blocks of the hotel and offices. Working on the project, Sullivan went from a passive imitation of European models, following the example of Richardson.

Photo — «Louis Sullivan»

Arrangement of multi-tiered stone arches forming the facades, almost grimly romantic character repeats wholesale stores Marshall - Field, built in Chicago by Richardson, but in dealing with the interior of the hall, a huge space which dismembered arched diaphragms organizing acoustics, Sullivan proved himself as an independent artist, combining rational logic with lush fantasy decorator.

Land speculation led to a tremendous increase in the value of land in downtown Chicago. These creatures became a new type of buildings - a skyscraper. Its development in height provided the use of metal frame and a passenger elevator, invented in the middle of the XIX century.

Chicago Architects William Le Baron Jenny, DH Burnham and JW Ruth managed to clearly and accurately express the novelty of the design and internal organization structures. Sullivan went further, seeking to combine rationality with the emotional expression of tension, the concentration of urban environment. In parallel with experiments in the construction of skyscrapers evolved its architectural theory.

High-rise buildings designed by Sullivan and demonstrate a desire to synthesize rules of composition, coming from the traditions of the Paris School of Fine Arts, and the new frame solution, new proportions and rhythm dictated by the cellular structure of the office building.

Ten-story building Uenrayt Building in St. Louis (1890-1891) was the first stage of its struggle for an aesthetic development of utilitarian constructive reality. His decision is largely a compromise. The culmination of the experiments was building Garanti Building in Buffalo (1894-1895). Vertical articulation of the building mass strictly conform to its function. On the first floor of the bare supports load-bearing frame of the building. Above the second floor, where the start of office space, the rhythm of piers is twice as frequent, emphasizing the common aspiration vertical composition. Thirteenth, the technical floor treated as a plastic-rich end of the building. In 1896, after completion of the Garanti Building, Sullivan published an article entitled "High-rise office buildings, seen from an artistic point of view," sums up the creative research - the first and most explicit statement of the foundations of his theory.

Photo — «Louis Sullivan»

At a time when the Chicago school has achieved excellence in the application of new tools created by it, its further development and the impact of a sudden stopped. The event, which immediately gave rise to this process was the World Exhibition in Chicago in 1893. But the forces already operating in this direction, appeared much earlier in other parts of the country. In the XIX century American architecture falls under a variety of influences. The strongest of these was the influence of "trade classicism, evolving in the east.

Exhibition in 1893 provoked the admiration of the public and the majority of architects. However, some European observers viewed it more skeptical. The well-known Belgian engineer Vierendeel considered "plaster architecture" of the exhibition and the continuation of constructive solutions provincial and weak.

However, the individual voices of Americans who protested against the corruption of public taste psevdovelikolepiem exhibition, not listening. Sullivan bitterly noted that "the consequences of the damage that caused the country the Chicago exhibition, will be felt not less than half a century. " It was a prediction of what happened afterwards.

The prestige of the Paris exhibition in 1889 led to the dominant role of the French School of Fine Arts at the Chicago exhibition. Author′s biography of John Ruth said: "At that time, few could think of competing with the French. Their artistic ability and experience make us doubt their own abilities. We had to organize a big American show, but in relation to its planning and exposure to reckon with the superiority of French taste. " In search of beauty samples American organizers of the exhibition appealed to France. But these were examples of the decadent period of French architecture.

In 1895, the Commonwealth Sullivan with Adler terminated. Who had no business acumen, Sullivan does not withstand competition with architectural firms, to quickly create de-identified projects. Success lozhnoklassicheskoy architecture of the World Expo undermined the position of structural realism, and gradually returned to the Chicago architects eclectic embellishment. But Sullivan did not give up. But after he built a pavilion of Transportation for the Chicago exhibition, his popularity as an architect has been lost.

Photo — «Louis Sullivan»

The heyday of the "Chicago School" was completed. This further exacerbated the difficulties in obtaining orders.

From 1895 to 1905 he worked with John Sullivan Elmsli, engaged in housing and a bank building. The last major opportunity to realize his vision Sullivan received in 1899, designing on a busy corner section of a department store Schlesinger and Meyer in Chicago (now Carson Pirie and Scott).

Despite the complexity, the building Sullivan remains unsurpassed in strength of expression of architecture. Inside the building to save a storage space with a solid floor. The facade is designed to account for coverage of internal space. The main elements of the facade are the "Chicago windows," remarkable for its relevance framed frame construction of the building. The whole facade is made with such force and precision of expression which can not be found either in the same building at the time. The windows with their thin metal framed precisely embedded in the facade. At the lower levels united by a narrow strip of windows on the terracotta ornamentation, which is devoted horizontal organization of the facade.

As an artist, Sullivan was interested in only the expressiveness of the external appearance of the building, its relationship with the nature of the environment. Organization of internal spaces he has not yet realized as an artistic challenge. This step in the development of the concept of organic architecture has already made Wright, who worked with Sullivan in the 1888-1893 years and until his death remained under the influence of ideas "beloved master.

Few downloaded practical work, at 1901-1902 Sullivan′s created most of his literary heritage. At this time she completed her book "Conversations in the kindergarten, which reads in the whole year published weekly" Interstate arkitekt End builder. For a live transmission of his thoughts Sullivan chose this form of dialogue between teacher and children. The book′s title reflects the author′s opinion that only the simplicity of communication in kindergarten can be beneficial - he opposes it to traditional methods of academic schools.

Dissatisfaction, painful notes are becoming more distinct in the works written after Sullivan, 1900. His criticism is becoming more virulent, style - all the more epigrammatic and at the same time more complex and rich metaphors, recalling the slow rhythms of prose H.

Photo — «Louis Sullivan»

Melville. Most of Sullivan addresses the architecture of young people.

However, the theoretical statements of the architect no less significant than its construction. "Everything in nature - says Sullivan - has its own image, in other words, has the form, external expression, which reveal to us their essence and what they differ from each other and from ourselves. " Comparison with nature leads the author to the conclusion that the purpose of the architectural solution should be to give each one peculiar to the construction of his unique appearance. "Whether it is a soaring eagle or a blooming apple tree, carrying a cargo punch or branched oak, river or gyrus scud, the rising or setting sun - a form always corresponds to the function - it is the law. " And, stressing this point, he concludes: "If you do not change the function does not change shape. "

The first decade of XX century it was difficult to Sullivan. His recent works are small in volume. They are more lyrical, unique combination of rich ornament with a major monumental form a whole - its remarkable feature. The most interesting of his later buildings - National Farmers Bank in Ovatonne, Minnesota (1908), where Sullivan has created the best of their interiors.

In 1908 Sullivan built a little and did not write. In 1918 he finally broke - lost his shop and the possibility of receiving orders. In his later years he wrote "Autobiography of ideas" (1922-1923), in which he tried to revive the memory of his youth and most productive years of their work in collaboration with Adler. He died April 14, 1924, all forgotten, in a poor Chicago hotel room.

Wright Sullivan works at the exhibition in Boston in 1940, said: "They killed Sullivan and almost killed me. "

Creativity Louis Sullivan - the greatest architects of the school - left an imprint on the work of the architects of the next generation in the Midwest, an outstanding representative of which was Frank Lloyd Wright.