Le Corbusier - A Unique Personality
Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) is considered as the most important architect of the modern age. He shaped the perceptions of modern architecture and of modernity itself.
When one looks at Le Corbusier's life's work one can only be astonished at its abundance. Le Corbusier built many groundbreaking buildings around the world and drew up numerous important urban development plans. He created impressive works of art – with paintings, sculptures, drawings and collages, enamels, tapestries as well as engravings. Together with timeless furniture icons. Not least, in 1931, Le Corbusier developed an eternally valid theory of colour: the Architectural Polychromy. Nowadays the Fondation Le Corbusier in Paris manages the life's work of Le Corbusier.
Le Corbusier's Architecture
Le Corbusier, the great pioneer of Modernism in architecture, has created impressive buildings all over the world. His work is directly linked to the ideas of modernity and embodies a new spirit, an "Esprit Nouveau". Some of Le Corbusier's unique buildings aim to standardise architecture, and others are prototypes or bring together many different concepts of that time while having the future in mind.
17 different projects of the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List of internationally renowned architectural sites in 2016. Here is a list of all the works and projects of Le Corbusier:
Urbanism and Architectural Theory
In the course of his work as an architect, Le Corbusier developed a series of architectural principles, which he used as the basis of his designs. The design principles include the following five points by Le Corbusier: Pilotis (pillars), roof garden, open floor plan, long windows and open facades. Basically, Le Corbusier called for a radical change in architecture.
This as a consequence of the developments in technology and the rapid change in living habits between the 19th and the 20th century. For Le Corbusier, it was always clear that the architect had to concentrate on people approached as a large collective group, thinking as a visionary and inventor. He had planned cities, was able to build a city with Chandigarh in India and had always tried his best to express his view of urbanism in real architecture.Today, the urban ideas of Le Corbusier are the guiding principles of modern urban planning.
Le Modulor
The Modulor is a measurement or proportioning system developed by Le Corbusier to put mankind back into the center of architecture and design. Based on the golden ratio and the human proportions, it is an attempt to take a human dimension as a mathematical order. The "The Modulor", published by Le Corbusier in 1949, is one of the most important writings in architectural history and theory.
The Modulor is used, for example, in the Unité d'habitation in Marseille and in the Convent La Tourette.
Le Corbusier's Art
Polychromie Architecturale
Purist as well as abstract art pieces were created in the form of paintings and drawings by Le Corbusier. Wood sculptures are also among his artistic works. In the art of Le Corbusier, icons of architectural works are always being represented.
Many of his letters have paintings and drawings on them. Le Corbusier created a kind of secret and very private diary by painting on paper and canvases. As he grew older, he devoted himself more and more to the study of shapes, images and colours, which increasingly captured his very own style.
A great work is the "open hand", a unique sign of give and take, peace, happiness, also expressing the unity of humanity.
Le Corbusier's Architectural Polychromy is a masterpiece. It consists of 63 fascinating colours, divided into 9 colour groups. The shades themselves were created by Le Corbusier in two colour collections in 1931 and 1959. The shades form a masterly and coherent colour system. In addition, they are colours of nature and harmonious. What makes the Architectural Polychromy unique is that all colours can be freely and impressively combined with one another. The 63 colours of the Architectural Polychromy are chosen so that the desired colour effects can be made simply, excluding automatically negative effects from the outset. Le Corbusier's Architectural Polychromy is the ideal tool for masterful architectural colour design. Le Corbusier took advantage of the opportunity offered by Salubra (a former wallpaper company) to publish the polychromy as a painted wallpaper collection.
Le Corbusier's Furniture
Le Corbusier's Future
As a young architect, Le Corbusier mainly worked with furniture that had already been designed. It was only later that his interest in interiors and interior design grew. Le Corbusier paid particular attention to tables, cabinets and, at last, chrome and leather armchairs. Modern classics include the cube-shaped LC2 leather chair from 1928 and the 1929 chaise longue LC4. For years, together with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, a wonderful selection of designer furniture has evolved that is now considered a hallmark of elegance.The designs include around 340 unique works from design classics to minimalist furniture and furnishings from the post-1930s.