The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.
Louis KahnRead
I sense a Threshold: Light to Silence, Silence to Light - an ambiance of inspiration, in which the desire to be, to express, crosses with the possible Light to Silence, Silence to Light crosses in the sanctuary of art.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote speaks to the transformative power of art, bridging the gap between silence and expression.
Louis Kahn's quote suggests that there exists a 'Threshold' where sound and silence meet, creating a space for inspiration and expression. This sanctuary, found within the realm of art, allows individuals to move from the quietude of thought to the clarity and illumination of creative expression, highlighting the intimate relationship between silence and artistic creation.
Themes
ArtInspirationCreativityExpressionSilenceLight
In practice
Example use cases
A speaker at an art gallery opening discussing the importance of silence in creative processes.
More from Louis Kahn
All quotes →Greek architecture taught me that the column is where the light is not, and the space between is where the light is. It is a matter of no-light, light, no-light, light. A column and a column brings light between them. To make a column which grows out of the wall and which makes its own rhythm of no-light, light, no-light, light: that is the marvel of the artist.
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The room is the beginning of architecture.
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Architecture is the reaching out for the truth.
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The creation of art is not the fulfillment of a need but the creation of a need. The world never needed Beethoven's Fifth Symphony until he created it. Now we could not live without it.
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We are born of light. The seasons are felt through light. We only know the world as it is evoked by light.
Louis KahnRead
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