Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan)

Theodore Roszak built planes for the Brewster Aircraft Corporation during the Second World War, where he learned the welding techniques that he later used to create Thistle in the Dream (To Louis Sullivan). The war was shattering to those, like Roszak, who believed in the progressive power of the industrial world. After 1945, his sculptures changed dramatically to spiky, threatening constructions that represent Roszak's disillusionment with the world. He used violent means of welding, hammering, and scoring metal to create these frightening sculptures. Thistle in the Dream is ironically dedicated to Louis Sullivan, the early modern architect from Roszak's hometown of Chicago who embellished his buildings with elegant designs found in nature. The sculptor's frightening mutation of a thistle stands in stark contrast to Sullivan's often gentle adaptations of organic forms.