Reflections on the Rational and the Sensual in the Work of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The sharp juxtaposition of rational and sensual qualities in Mies’s buildings has received little attention or analysis from critics and, when explored at all, it has generated more questions than answers. Although there is general agreement among scholars about the importance of rationality to Mies, his sensual side has provoked a welter of conflicting opinions. This essay explores relationships between the rational and the sensual in Mies’s work by examining his use of the figure and the grid.