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Louis Kahn: A work of art... is not a living thing... that walks or runs. But the making of a life. That which gives you a reaction. To some it is the wonder of man's fingers. To some it is the wonder of the mind. To some it is the wonder of technique. And to some it is how real it is. To some, how transcendent it is. Like the 5th Symphony, it presents itself with a feeling that you know it, if you have heard it once. And you look for it, and though you know it you must hear it again. Though you know it you must see it again. Truly, a work of art is one that tells us that Nature cannot make what man can make.
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Louis Kahn: When you want to give something presence, you have to consult nature. And there is where design comes in. If you think of brick, for instance, you say to brick, "What do you want, brick?" And brick says to you, "I like an arch." And if you say to brick, "Look, arches are expensive, and I can use a concrete lintel over you. What do you think of that, brick?" brick says, "I like an arch."
[Students laugh]
Louis Kahn: And it's important, you see, that you honor the material that you use. You don't bandy it around as though you said, "Well, we have a lot of material around. We can do it one way, we can do it another." It's not true. You can only do it if you honor the brick, and glorify the brick, instead of just shortchanging it.
Edmund Bacon
Extended Reading
