Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Perspective of hostels
Louis I. Kahn
American, born Estonia. 1901–1974
1963
A charcoal and crayon drawing on tracing paper in which Louis Kahn sketches a perspectival view of student hostels for his Sher‑e‑Bangla Nagar project, probing how a rhythm of vaulted arches and supports shapes space and light.
You first notice the bold, overlapping semicircular arches that frame a long receding colonnade drawn with loose, expressive charcoal, while translucent tracing paper, small compositional studies and red handwritten notes along the bottom give it the intimacy of a working sketch.
The drawing exemplifies Kahn’s method of using lyrical, exploratory sketches to test monumental geometry, structure, and light—an approach that helped reshape modern institutional architecture by marrying timeless formal order with human scale.
Medium
Charcoal and crayon on tracing paper
Dimensions
18 x 20" (45.7 x 50.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of the architect
Accession
417.1967
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
