Modern Architecture: Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier was one of dominant architects of modernism era who achieved his fame due to his innovative and original constructions and his valuable writings. He dedicated himself to the exploration of the topic of modern buildings planning and design. Le Corbusier tried to embody his vision of architecture, as a means of emotional relations establishment, in his works. Le Corbusier managed to develop his own vision of beauty in architecture, which was often challengeable to the viewers at first. Nevertheless, living in the era of technology, he understood the necessity of comfort, convenience and logic in architecture, thus developing principles of modern, practical constructions.

Le Corbusier in his book Towards a New Architecture described his technical and aesthetic theories of architecture, explored the peculiarities of different styles and époques and formulated certain innovative aspects of modern architecture improvement. For the architect the concept of beauty was inseparable from the functionality. According to Le Corbusier, the beautiful in architecture can be revealed when certain masses are put into light creating tangible real geometrical forms for our vision (17). All these cubes, cones, spheres, pyramids are essential to human understanding of aesthetics as they are natural primary forms that are perceived without deviations. Moreover, one of the most important goals of architecture is to “vitalize the surface” adjusting it to the requirements of the dwellers and allowing it to serve the masses (Le Corbusier, 34). Functional and subsequently aesthetic surface usage became distinctive feature of Le Corbusier’s architecture. He suggested that in construction it is possible to separate bearing elements from not beari...

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... emotional architecture, performing its utilitarian functions. Wittgenstein on the other hand, being a philosopher solved the problem of building construction in his own way, demonstrating peculiar understanding of beauty and functionality. Thus, each of these great minds contributed to the development of architecture as a philosophical discipline.

Works Cited

Vitruvius, Polio. The Ten Books on Architecture. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 1917.

Last, Nana. Transgressions and Inhabitations: Wittgensteinan Spatial Practices between Architecture and Philosophy. The MIT Press, 1998.

Jeffries, Stuart. "A Dwelling for the Gods." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Jan. 2002. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

Le Corbusier. Towards a New Architecture. New York: Dover Publications, I NC.,1986

Curtis, William. Le Corbusier Ideas and Forms. London: Phaidon Press Art Books, 2003.