Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a “father of skyscrapers” and “father of modernism.” He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an inspiration to the Chicago group of architects who have come to be known as the Prairie School. Along with Wright and Henry Hobson Richardson, Sullivan is one of “the recognized trinity of American architecture.”
The phrase “form follows function” is attributed to him. However, the idea was theorised by Viollet le Duc who considered that structure and function in architecture should be the sole determinants of form. In 1944, Sullivan was the second architect to posthumously receive the AIA Gold Medal.
Louis Sullivan pioneered modern design principles in North America, designing buildings that grew from and for the changing commercial needs of the urban and rural Midwest. Sullivan’s buildings were both economical and beautiful, with streamlined forms and decoration that emphasized their purpose.
He is known primarily for creating a form for skyscrapers, office buildings that pushed upward rather than outward, that highlighted their verticality, and for the strength of his decorative work, which highlighted the underlying form of buildings and introduced Art Nouveau to North America.
Sullivan’s style of architecture influenced those working around and for him, with both the Chicago School and the Prairie School developing from his work, and his emphasis on beginning a design for a building with that building’s purpose in mind guided architects working across the twentieth century.
According to en.wikipedia.org; theartstory.org. Source of photos: internet
