The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.
Louis KahnRead
The person of old had the same brilliance of mind that we assume we have now. But that which made a thing become manifest for the first time is our great moment of creative happening.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the timeless nature of human creativity and the significance of moments that lead to new manifestations of ideas.
Louis Kahn reflects on the brilliance of individuals throughout history, suggesting that the insightful minds of the past are comparable to our own. However, he highlights the importance of the moments of creativity that allow new ideas and forms to emerge, suggesting that creativity is not just an intellectual endeavor, but a transformative experience that brings forth new realities.
In practice
In a speech about innovation, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of creativity in bringing new ideas to life.
The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.
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.
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.
The room is the beginning of architecture.
Architecture is the reaching out for the truth.
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.
I don't really know why an idea comes to me. But all of a sudden, an idea comes and from experience I can intuit what something means when an interesting line pops up. Or I can intuit what an interesting choice might be. And I can try a couple of different choices, and see which one feels right, and then continue the song to see where it goes.
If you can even manage to tell exactly what a song is about, all you do is put that song in a box forever, and it loses its evocative power.
Film editing is now something almost everyone can do at a simple level and enjoy it, but to take it to a higher level requires the same dedication and persistence that any art form does.
One has to draw upon one's own musical thoughts and one's own musical acumen, and not to be afraid to let that come into one's work. Perhaps that comes with more experience, but perhaps it also comes with daring, and believing that you should.
When you have a large space to conquer, the curve is the natural solution.
Art is an invention of aesthetics, which in turn is an invention of philosophers... What we call art is a game.
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